Collaboration, Education, and the Future of Global Health: A Conversation with Dr. Mark Dybul
By Talia E. Zimmerman
Dr. Mark Dybul, faculty co-director of the Center for Global Health and Quality, joined our class in the Berkley Center on March 22, 2019, to discuss his career path in global health and share his insights on the future of this evolving industry. Dr. Dybul drew from his experience as the executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as his experience directing the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to address the role of communication, collaboration, and education in solving future global health challenges.
Dr. Dybul spoke about the seismic shift in the configuration of global health programs, a shift away from a paternalist donor-recipient model and towards an organization of partnerships with health systems. However, progress in this area has remained uneven, hindered by the current political climate. In an interview with The Catalyst, Dr. Dybul said, “America often has to choose between two paths: looking inward with fear or looking outward with compassion.” The renewed support for increased isolationism by the U.S. government threatens the future of global health programs.
In response to the emergence of isolationist rhetoric, Dr. Dybul asserts that withdrawing from the world is not a viable solution. Instead, prevailing issues in global health require increased engagement and collaboration between nations. One of the strategies that Dr. Dybul employs to overcome this barrier is to turn fear into change. By invoking the feelings of insecurity rooted in this issue, Dr. Dybul has garnered increased support for emerging programs in global health. However, the manipulation of fear is merely a short-term solution to this issue; the long-term solution is education.
Through his involvement in PEPFAR and the Global Fund, Dr. Dybul has learned that very few people make an effort to educate themselves on new cultures when engaging in discussions surrounding global health initiatives. This phenomenon extends to how individuals address global health issues; people seldom make the effort to approach a problem from a new direction. Dr. Dybul asserted that a crucial component of successful negotiation is active listening. The development of relationships around mutual respect facilitates open communication, enabling individuals to work through their differences towards initiatives that transcend political borders.
The global health community will continue to face new challenges: we are currently at the highest risk since the creation of PEPFAR of losing control of the HIV epidemic. It is only through the use of enhanced dialogue and expanded education that the future of global health will continue towards greater change, enabling us to confront this challenge.
Talia E. Zimmerman (COL ‘20) is an undergraduate in the College, studying biology of global health.
This blog was written by a student in Georgetown’s Conversations in Global Health course, which brings leaders in global health to Georgetown to discuss their careers and work.