ISGlobal-Barcelona: a new health institute fighting the diseases that affect the world's poor
A ceremony was held this morning for the official presentation of the new Barcelona Global Health Institute, an initiative aimed at improving health across the globe through the generation and transmission of knowledge, focusing particularly on the most disadvantaged populations. The event was attended by José Montilla, President of the Catalan Government (the Generalitat); Dídac Ramírez, Rector of the University of Barcelona; Pedro Alonso, Professor of Public Health and Director of the Barcelona Centre for International Health Research; Isidre Fainé, President of "la Caixa" and the "la Caixa" Foundation; HRH Infanta Cristina of Spain, Director of the International Area of the "la Caixa" Foundation; and Soraya Rodríguez, Secretary of State for International Cooperation.
A ceremony was held this morning for the official presentation of the new Barcelona Global Health Institute, an initiative aimed at improving health across the globe through the generation and transmission of knowledge, focusing particularly on the most disadvantaged populations. The event was attended by José Montilla, President of the Catalan Government (the Generalitat); Dídac Ramírez, Rector of the University of Barcelona; Pedro Alonso, Professor of Public Health and Director of the Barcelona Centre for International Health Research; Isidre Fainé, President of "la Caixa" and the "la Caixa" Foundation; HRH Infanta Cristina of Spain, Director of the International Area of the "la Caixa" Foundation; and Soraya Rodríguez, Secretary of State for International Cooperation.
Also present at the event were Marina Geli, Catalan Minister for Health, Jaume Lanaspa, General Director of the "la Caixa" Foundation, and Javier Solana, High Representative of Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union until the end of 2009.
The new Global Health Institute is the fruit of a joint initiative between public and private institutions, reflected in the composition of its Board of Trustees, which is formed by representatives of various government bodies, private foundations and wider society: the University of Barcelona, the Generalitat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Hospital Clínic and the "la Caixa" Foundation.
The work of ISGlobal will also be supported by the Inbursa Foundation in Mexico, the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, and a number of important international figures, including Javier Solana, former High Representative of Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, and Graça Machel, winner of the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 1998 and holder of an honorary doctorate from the UB (2008). Other institutions such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have also expressed their desire to take part in the initiative.
Global health is particularly concerned with those diseases of highest incidence around the world, which in an age of globalization affect developed and developing nations alike. In 2000, the UN established a series of Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) which included three specific targets concerning global health: to reduce child mortality, to improve maternal health, and to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases that restrict the potential for development in poor countries. The new Institute aims to become a leading international centre for research into these diseases, with its primary goal to improve the health of the world's most disadvantaged peoples and break the cycle of disease and poverty in which many are trapped. As the researcher Pedro Alonso explains, "International public health must guarantee that all levels of society, all regions and all continents, particularly Africa, benefit from the globalization of healthcare and that no-one is left isolated".
ISGlobal-Barcelona: Meeting new challenges in global health
ISGlobal-Barcelona will also operate an independent think-tank responsible for generating, evaluating and disseminating new ideas, provoking debate on key topics in global health and providing important information to those involved in shaping and managing health policies in developing and developed nations.
The third priority of ISGlobal-Barcelona is to raise awareness of health issues at national and international level. Through the University of Barcelona, the centre will take a leading role in coordinating major training initiatives in the field of global health, together with other academic and scientific institutions in Spain, Europe and the rest of the world. Training will be offered to researchers and professionals interested in the field, in particular those working in developing nations, who will be encouraged to take active roles in knowledge transfer to their local communities. In his address at the presentation, UB Rector Dídac Ramírez stated that, "access to knowledge and scientific developments, the spread of cultural diversity and the transmission of solutions are results that will meet growing social demand for a response to the current problems and difficulties". The UB is one of the most advanced institutions in Spain in tropical medicine and international health education and research, and offers the pioneering Master in Tropical Medicine and International Health, which will soon be into its 40th edition.
The project also includes a consultancy division, which will be vital in consolidating the other activities carried out by the Institute. The main aim of this work will be to provide innovative, multi-discplinary advice and solutions covering all areas of global health and to promote suitable policies and practices for bringing about change and improvements in this field.