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GHAR cover page
July 27, 2020

Annual student-run journal highlights global issues and research inspired by UN goals

The fifth issue of the student-led, open access journal Global Health: Annual Review (GHAR) is now online. From water and sanitation in Ghana to Canada’s COVID-19 response in marginalized communities, the articles demonstrate the diversity of global health research and explore the interplay between the biological, social, and physical factors that influence health and disease globally.Read the latest issue of GHAR here

Global Health student Alim Samnani
June 23, 2020

Work-integrated learning goes virtual for global health students

Work-integrated learning is a core component of McMaster’s graduate global health program, which requires students to complete a ten-week practicum to gain hands-on experience in the global health field. Students work with organizations that put into practice the theory, concepts, and methods taught in the program, with activities targeted to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Laptop with person writing on pad of paper
June 22, 2020

5 tips for running a virtual symposium that works

The capstone experience of the graduate global health program is an intense two-week international symposium in India, which brings together 300+ students and faculty from McMaster and partner universities in the Netherlands, India and Thailand. This year, the evolving situation with COVID-19 meant the symposium had to move to a completely online format.

Global Health alumnus calls for compassionate response as COVID-19 outbreak worsens among migrant farm workers
June 3, 2020

Global Health alumnus calls for compassionate response as COVID-19 outbreak worsens among migrant farm workers

A recent article in The Hamilton Spectator featured Eustace Orleans-Lindsay, an advocate for migrant workers in Norfolk County in Simcoe, where he works as a pharmacist. The MSc Global Health program graduate is asking residents not to stigmatize offshore workers in light of a COVID-19 outbreak on a local farm.

A message from the Dean & VP regarding racism
June 3, 2020

A message from the Dean & VP regarding racism

The Faculty of Health Sciences is a community of faculty, staff, and learners. Like many we are shocked, saddened and gravely concerned about the anti-Black racism and violence at the hands of police, and the ensuing tragic events, occurring in the United States. We recognize these deaths and events as a part of systemic injustices and inequities that are made more evident with the current pandemic, are also present within Canada and within many institutions, including our own.

A slide from Om Kurmi\'s presentation on COVID-19, a country-specific comparison
June 1, 2020

Flattening the curve on COVID-19: A country-specific comparison

Every day we get new numbers and predictions on the state of COVID-19 in our home community, our country, and around the world. How do these reports compare and contrast with one another when you put all the countries side by side? What can we learn from our current progress, our metrics for tracking, and the efficacy of “flattening the curve”?

A slide from Dr. Dushoff\'s presentation on mathematical modeling
May 27, 2020

Mathematical modeling of COVID-19 explored in recent webinar

Dr. Jonathan Dushoff, professor of Biology at McMaster University’s Institute for Infectious Disease Research, has spent nearly two decades doing dynamical modeling for infectious diseases. In a recent webinar he delivered with Sheena Guglani, research analyst at the eConsult Centre of Excellence (eConsult COE), Dushoff discussed the role of mathematical epidemiology in the context of COVID-19.

Pandemics webinar series closes with views on conspiracies, biases, and decision-making
May 22, 2020

Pandemics webinar series closes with views on conspiracies, biases, and decision-making

A recent webinar by Andrea Baumann and Amelia Boughn wrapped up the Expert Perspectives on Pandemics series, hosted by McMaster University to explore transdisciplinary insights on pandemics in the context of COVID-19.  Baumann is the associate V-P Global Health and director of McMaster’s MSc Global Health program, while Boughn is a graduate student working towards her MSc Global Health.

Collage of photos from the past and present
May 15, 2020

Exploring visual histories and public reactions to pandemics

History is fragmented. Reconstructing the lived realities of those who came before requires us to examine historical artifacts, from documents to photographs. The introduction of the camera in the 19th century shed light on unseen corners of the world and, in the context of pandemics, was a critical tool in the development of modern medicine – with photography practiced both as science and art.

Ethical considerations of COVID-19: Your questions answered
May 13, 2020

Ethical considerations of COVID-19: Your questions answered

As major figures worldwide declare the COVID-19 pandemic to be “unprecedented times that warrant unprecedented intervention,” life as we know it has shifted drastically in response to new policies, emergency procedures, and pressures from resource allocation.

Antibiotics, resistance, and pandemics
May 11, 2020

Antibiotics, resistance, and pandemics

Unlike COVID-19, which has spread swiftly across the globe, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a slow-moving pandemic. But is there – or will there be – a link between the novel Coronavirus and antibiotic resistance? Watch this recent webinar by Gerry Wright, the Canada Research Chair in Molecular Studies of Antibiotics at McMaster University.

A slide from Dr. Hendrik Poinar\'s webinar, Learning From Past Pandemics: From Black Death to COVID-19.
May 6, 2020

Global experts talk pandemics and COVID-19 in free webinar series

McMaster’s Global Health office is opening up its online speaker series exploring COVID-19 from multiple perspectives to a wider audience. Expert Perspectives on Pandemics features international renowned experts on topics that include flattening the curve, forecasting the new coronavirus, cultural histories and reactions to past pandemics, and the search for a magic bullet.

A male nurse holds a syringe
May 4, 2020

Q&A with a vaccine expert on COVID-19 and pandemic response

The race is on to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. But in an outbreak situation, getting to market fast enough means the process – from discovery research to clinical development to large-scale manufacturing and regulatory approvals – all happens in a condensed timeframe.

Iceberg in the arctic
May 1, 2020

Global health students dive into UN development goals through simulation

Drybrathem is an Arctic region with a beautiful landscape, thriving culture, and resilient people. But, recently, growing levels of mercury have been discovered in the water, causing concern for the health and livelihood of the region’s entire community. The mercury levels are expected to have far-reaching impacts on everything from food security to employment. And the community is asking for help. Except that none of this is true.

Geneviève Boily-Larouche
April 29, 2020

New webinar highlights Canada’s rapid research response to COVID-19

A new webinar by Charu Kaushic and Geneviève Boily-Larouche explores Canada’s research response to COVID-19 and the ways in which the Government of Canada has been working collectively to make progress, and how government funding is being spent on research and other pandemic-related initiatives.

MSc Global Health student Meryl Mackinson
April 28, 2020

Three questions with a global health student

MSc Global Health student Meryl Mackinson shares with us her research focus to date, why she chose McMaster for global health, and what she plans to do when she graduates.

MSc Global Health student Nikki Janszen Spitman
April 26, 2020

Student research to focus on SARS, COVID-19 and the importance of 'after'

Every year, as part of the Master of Science in Global Health program’s capstone project, an intense two-week international symposium, MSc Global Health students present their research and gather invaluable feedback on their research from peers and experts.

Person dressed as Black Plague doctor
April 24, 2020

Black Death to COVID-19 – what we can learn from past pandemics

In 1346 an unknown miasma – a noxious form of ‘bad air’ – swept across the Middle East, through the Horn of Africa, and consumed Europe within five years. The Black Plague spread quickly. It did not discriminate. And it caused massive mortality. The question is: what can we learn from it, when it comes to COVID-19?

McMaster places 17th in the world in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
April 22, 2020

McMaster places 17th in the world in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

McMaster University has placed 17th in the world in The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, which recognizes the important contributions universities make to their communities, countries and on an international scale.

Laptop with sticky notes and pen beside it
April 20, 2020

System mapping, collaborating, and moving to an online platform

The Master of Science in Global Health program prioritizes experiential learning, culminating in a global health symposium in India – a rich cultural experience where students participate in field orientation visits and gain firsthand insight into how the Indian health care system functions. Learning how to create system maps is a key component of the experience. But just because the students aren’t travelling to India doesn’t mean they will miss out.