Global Health Institute

Through the course “Conversations in Global Health,” students were joined by the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Tuberculosis, Dr. Eric Goosby. Previously, Dr. Goosby has served as global AIDS coordinator and currently directs the Center for Global Health Delivery and Diplomacy at the University of California, San Francisco. Through this discussion, Dr. Goosby’s wide expertise offered insight on the discourse of international health issues today, including the epidemics of COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases. This dialogue knitted together the fabric of medicine, government, and society in creating a holistic approach to saving lives worldwide.

On February 23, Georgetown University’s Conversations in Global Health class met with Dr. Eric Goosby over Zoom. Dr. Goosby is a public health official and academic with over 35 years of experience in the field of HIV/AIDS, paired with recent experience managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout his talk, he highlighted the social justice foundations of the global health sector and how his politically-active family led him to serve in this area. His experience during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States contrasts with the current pandemic in terms of timeline but offers crucial insight. What happened over at least a decade in the study of HIV’s pathophysiology and history occurred in months with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.