Global Health Security
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sussex
Department Name: Sch of Global Studies
Abstract
Traditionally the areas of global health and security have been seen as important but clearly distinct. However, the past ten years has seen the rise of a number of issues which cross this boundary, from the threat of bioterrorism in the post 9/11 world which pushed security ever closer to the field of health, to the challenges of SARS and influenza pandemics which clearly highlighted the interdependence of health and security. Global health security as a distinct research and policy area owes much to the processes that occurred following the end of the Cold War in the field of security, particularly those which lead to the acceptance and creation of a new range of challenges as security issues. Health issues were prominent within this, most notably in the form of HIV/AIDS. However, whilst the subject of HIV/AIDS and its relationship to security remains well developed in research terms, there has been a growing recognition that what scholars and practitioners mean when they use the term global health security is far broader than the conventional security challenges of a single virus. Most notably, there are set of key questions that remain in the field of global health security which this seminar series seeks to address. These include the core question of what is meant by the term global health security; the identification of the principal contemporary challenges in the area; an assessment of who has identified these challenges, an exploration of who is seeking to address them and an evaluation of the implications of this in terms of policy and practice.
This seminar series moves beyond traditional subjects in order to explore new areas of research in global health security. It will consider the term global health security, exploring the ethical implications of the concept with regard to the impact that this has on global health security in policy and practice. It further seeks to analyse the role of different actors in the field, notably assessing the role of the military in the provision of global health security, which in light of recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan has been particularly controversial, the role of private companies and the pharmaceutical industry. The seminar series will also address new challenges in global health security including the safety of health and development workers in areas of conflict and instability; both international aid workers and local staff have been increasingly targeted as part of wider political struggles in countries such as Pakistan. The new challenge posed by the trade in illicit tobacco, which contributes to a major cause of ill health in the form of diseases related to tobacco use, but also undermines the efforts taken to control tobacco use by the international public health community will also be explored. In addition the seminar series will consider the issue of non-communicable diseases in the global south; the international focus on the treatment and prevention of communicable diseases in the region has meant that measures to prevent and address those diseases that pose the greatest burden have not been fully explored. Ultimately this seminar series takes the established literature on global health security as a starting point and sets out to advance the field through an exploration of the key existing and emerging challenges.
This seminar series moves beyond traditional subjects in order to explore new areas of research in global health security. It will consider the term global health security, exploring the ethical implications of the concept with regard to the impact that this has on global health security in policy and practice. It further seeks to analyse the role of different actors in the field, notably assessing the role of the military in the provision of global health security, which in light of recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan has been particularly controversial, the role of private companies and the pharmaceutical industry. The seminar series will also address new challenges in global health security including the safety of health and development workers in areas of conflict and instability; both international aid workers and local staff have been increasingly targeted as part of wider political struggles in countries such as Pakistan. The new challenge posed by the trade in illicit tobacco, which contributes to a major cause of ill health in the form of diseases related to tobacco use, but also undermines the efforts taken to control tobacco use by the international public health community will also be explored. In addition the seminar series will consider the issue of non-communicable diseases in the global south; the international focus on the treatment and prevention of communicable diseases in the region has meant that measures to prevent and address those diseases that pose the greatest burden have not been fully explored. Ultimately this seminar series takes the established literature on global health security as a starting point and sets out to advance the field through an exploration of the key existing and emerging challenges.
Planned Impact
There are a number of potential beneficiaries who could both participate in debates and utilise the research findings of the proposed seminar series. These were identified in the planning stages of this proposed seminar series and it is particularly relevant that one of the co-investigators, Dr Sowerby, is a senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst a British military training establishment. The involvement of RMA Sandhurst provides a direct civil military link that is particularly important as the British military will be one of the beneficiaries of this research. They will benefit from the policy relevant conclusions this research generates, which have the potential to assist in the formulation of doctrine and policy for British military medical personnel deployed on operations where they are expected to play a role in delivering, or assisting in the delivery of, health security. This research is particularly relevant as it comes at a time when the British military is engaged in a restructuring process which will shape the nature of future operations. The engagement of this particular group of beneficiaries, including those involved in training roles, from the outset provides an opportunity to influence and shape future developments.
There are also additional beneficiaries from within the wider British government. For example, the recognition that health policy has a global element means that the seminar series and its findings are of interest to government departments as diverse as the Department of Health, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for International Development. In preparing this bid links have been made to representatives from a number of these areas in order to encourage their engagement in the discussion, promote dialogue and ensure the findings of the seminar series are relevant to the intended beneficiaries. The findings of the seminars, particularly the executive summary and the final policy brief, will be sent to these representatives.
There are also beneficiaries in the third sector particularly those who deliver or provide health care aid or assistance internationally. It is intended to include a number of representatives from this area in the seminar discussions in order that they are part of the research dialogue and therefore influence the conclusions from which they will benefit. The findings of the series, in the form of the executive summaries and the policy brief, will be disseminated to these groups.
The seminar series is designed with a targeted plan to facilitate the engagement of the identified beneficiaries. This engagement includes:
1) Invitations to both speak and participate at the seminars, which will promote both dialogue and facilitate in enabling the relevance of the conclusions to the identified beneficiaries.
2) The publication and dissemination of the executive summaries and the final policy brief to the identified beneficiaries.
3) Targeted press invitations to seminars, particularly to The Lancet and British Medical Journal, in order to facilitate the dissemination of findings to a wider audience.
4) Publication of relevant material on the seminar series website which will be publically available. Material will include the details of each seminar, the seminar papers, speaker biographies, online discussion forums, videos of seminars and links to the Twitter account of the series.
There are also additional beneficiaries from within the wider British government. For example, the recognition that health policy has a global element means that the seminar series and its findings are of interest to government departments as diverse as the Department of Health, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for International Development. In preparing this bid links have been made to representatives from a number of these areas in order to encourage their engagement in the discussion, promote dialogue and ensure the findings of the seminar series are relevant to the intended beneficiaries. The findings of the seminars, particularly the executive summary and the final policy brief, will be sent to these representatives.
There are also beneficiaries in the third sector particularly those who deliver or provide health care aid or assistance internationally. It is intended to include a number of representatives from this area in the seminar discussions in order that they are part of the research dialogue and therefore influence the conclusions from which they will benefit. The findings of the series, in the form of the executive summaries and the policy brief, will be disseminated to these groups.
The seminar series is designed with a targeted plan to facilitate the engagement of the identified beneficiaries. This engagement includes:
1) Invitations to both speak and participate at the seminars, which will promote both dialogue and facilitate in enabling the relevance of the conclusions to the identified beneficiaries.
2) The publication and dissemination of the executive summaries and the final policy brief to the identified beneficiaries.
3) Targeted press invitations to seminars, particularly to The Lancet and British Medical Journal, in order to facilitate the dissemination of findings to a wider audience.
4) Publication of relevant material on the seminar series website which will be publically available. Material will include the details of each seminar, the seminar papers, speaker biographies, online discussion forums, videos of seminars and links to the Twitter account of the series.
Organisations
- University of Sussex (Lead Research Organisation)
- QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON (Collaboration)
- University of Sheffield (Collaboration)
- Sparks Charity (Collaboration)
- Sandhurst Royal Military Academy (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY (Collaboration)
- Queen Mary University of London (Project Partner)
- University of Sydney (Project Partner)
- Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (Project Partner)
Publications
Youde J
(2016)
Private actors, global health and learning the lessons of history.
in Medicine, conflict, and survival
Wenham C
(2016)
Ebola respons-ibility: moving from shared to multiple responsibilities
in Third World Quarterly
Roemer-Mahler A
(2016)
Introduction: Ebola and International Relations
in Third World Quarterly
Roemer-Mahler A
(2016)
The race for Ebola drugs: pharmaceuticals, security and global health governance
in Third World Quarterly
Reubi, David
(2016)
Health & Place
in The Politics of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Global South
Reubi, David
(2015)
David Reubi, 2015, Modernisation, Smoking and Chronic Disease: Of Temporality and Spatiality in Global Health
in Health & Place
Pallister-Wilkins P
(2016)
Personal Protective Equipment in the humanitarian governance of Ebola: between individual patient care and global biosecurity
in Third World Quarterly
Nunes J
(2016)
Ebola and the production of neglect in global health
in Third World Quarterly
McInnes C
(2016)
Crisis! What crisis? Global health and the 2014-15 West African Ebola outbreak
in Third World Quarterly
Title | A Short Film on AMR and Pharmaceuticals |
Description | A short film looking at the challenges in responding to AMR. |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Impact | This video has helped to develop a social science research agenda on pharmaceutical policies & AMR. |
URL | http://www.sussex.ac.uk/globalhealthpolicy/events/workshops/pharmaceuticalsandglobalhealthpolicy/fil... |
Title | A Short Film on Ebola and Global Health Governance |
Description | A Short Film on Ebola and Global Health Governance |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Impact | This is now used as a teaching tool on the international politics of health. |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2KE8SeEQhU |
Title | Film on AMR and International Relations |
Description | A short video exploring the international political factors driving AMR. |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Impact | This video has fed into developing a research agenda on the international politics of AMR. |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRnw5jOD47k&feature=youtu.be |
Title | Video of Public Lectures for Public Dissemination |
Description | These are video of keynote presentations made by leading members from government, industry and NGO sector. |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Impact | The presentations generated animated audience discussion, and fed into a subsequent workshop that produced a published policy report on the role of the private sector in health-related humanitarian crises. |
URL | http://sydney.edu.au/arts/ciss/news/index.shtml?id=4235 |
Description | This grant supported the organisation of nine international workshops on global health security - that is, how to better protect populations against health-based threats like infectious disease outbreaks. Against the background of ongoing international outbreaks of Ebola and Zika, the workshops brought together experts from universities, governments, non-governmental organisations, and industry to explore the challenges that exist in this area, and to find ways of improving international mechanisms for responding to these challenges. Overall the workshop series identified several outstanding challenges in the area of global health security around: 1) the rapid development of new medicines during outbreaks and emergencies; 2) the appropriate use medical care as part of wider counter-insurgency operations; 3) the protection of healthcare workers in conflict and crisis situations; 4) the strengthening the global governance of infectious disease outbreaks; 5) the role of military and defence institutions in responding to outbreaks; 6) the rising challenge of non-communicable diseases in the global South; 7) the role of the private sector in strengthening health security; and 8) the rise of antimicrobial resistance. In addition to identifying particular policy challenges in each of these areas, the seminars also explored wider issues around power, influence, ethics, and competing priorities in the area of global health security. |
Exploitation Route | Each seminar focused on one pivotal area of global health security, and produced a summary and/or report identifying key issues and explored possible strategies for addressing them. These can be found at: http://bisaglobalhealth.org. Across the seminar series as a whole, it became clear that there are still a large number of unresolved global health security challenges that pose a considerable risk to the future health of populations. One of the key findings that emerged is thus the need to improve the global governance of these issues. Governments, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and industry could thus take the findings of these workshops forward as evidence and support for ongoing efforts to create a more comprehensive system for the global governance of health security. |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology Security and Diplomacy |
URL | http://bisaglobalhealth.org/?page_id=147 |
Description | The seminar series raised awareness amongst a variety of professional audiences about the need to strengthen global health security. The seminar series explored many of the key policy challenges that remain in this area. Through the organisation of the seminars, we have also helped to create and sustain and international network of experts in global health security. |
First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Security and Diplomacy |
Impact Types | Societal |
Description | Partnership to Hold Workshops on Global Health Security |
Organisation | Queen Mary University of London |
Department | School of Geography |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The Centre for Global Health Policy at the University of Sussex managed the grant, made the contractual arrangements, hosted the website, and organised 2 of the seminars. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners each organised one workshop in the seminar series. |
Impact | These are listed agains the grant as a whole. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Partnership to Hold Workshops on Global Health Security |
Organisation | Sandhurst Royal Military Academy |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The Centre for Global Health Policy at the University of Sussex managed the grant, made the contractual arrangements, hosted the website, and organised 2 of the seminars. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners each organised one workshop in the seminar series. |
Impact | These are listed agains the grant as a whole. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Partnership to Hold Workshops on Global Health Security |
Organisation | Sparks Charity |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | The Centre for Global Health Policy at the University of Sussex managed the grant, made the contractual arrangements, hosted the website, and organised 2 of the seminars. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners each organised one workshop in the seminar series. |
Impact | These are listed agains the grant as a whole. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Partnership to Hold Workshops on Global Health Security |
Organisation | University of Birmingham |
Department | Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The Centre for Global Health Policy at the University of Sussex managed the grant, made the contractual arrangements, hosted the website, and organised 2 of the seminars. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners each organised one workshop in the seminar series. |
Impact | These are listed agains the grant as a whole. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Partnership to Hold Workshops on Global Health Security |
Organisation | University of Sheffield |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The Centre for Global Health Policy at the University of Sussex managed the grant, made the contractual arrangements, hosted the website, and organised 2 of the seminars. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners each organised one workshop in the seminar series. |
Impact | These are listed agains the grant as a whole. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Partnership to Hold Workshops on Global Health Security |
Organisation | University of Sydney |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The Centre for Global Health Policy at the University of Sussex managed the grant, made the contractual arrangements, hosted the website, and organised 2 of the seminars. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners each organised one workshop in the seminar series. |
Impact | These are listed agains the grant as a whole. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Blog on Global Health Security |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We wrote a blog on global health security for Health Systems Global |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://www.healthsystemsglobal.org/blog/130/Medicines-and-health-systems-a-new-global-health-securit... |
Description | Open Letter on Ebola in the Lancet: 'WHO must remain a strong global health leader post Ebola' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | An open letter on the international Ebola response with nearly 100 signatories. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60012-5/abstract |
Description | Open Letter on Open Democracy |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | This was an open letter on the international Ebola response published in the widely regarded and read OpenDemocracy website. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | https://www.opendemocracy.net/open-security/experts-from-range-of-disciplines/ebola-and-global-healt... |
Description | Public Lecture: 'EXAMINING THE ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN HEALTH-RELATED HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | The lecture featured a panel of speakers discussing matters on the private sector in health-related humanitarian response. The speakers were: · Mr Blair Exell, First Assistant Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Bruce Armstrong, CEO, Aspen Medical, Dr Stewart Condon, President, MSF Australia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | https://sydney.edu.au/arts/ciss/events/?id=4166 |