Dialogue, Trust, and the Pursuit of Global Health

A variety of factors must be considered when tackling conflicts in global health, such as political or economic concerns. Often, this makes it difficult to resolve these challenges. Despite this, throughout the past several decades, the United States has managed to play a role in improving global health through programs like the President’s Malaria Initiative and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Evidently, global health challenges become less formidable under the leadership of the right people. I had the privilege of speaking with one such leader, John Nkengasong, Ph.D. 

Born in Cameroon, Nkengasong pursued an education in the sciences, which culminated in a doctorate in virology. Throughout his career, Nkengasong fought to improve health care in Africa, and he touched on some of these experiences during his visit to the Conversations in Health: Global to Local class.

First, Nkengasong touched on establishing health care autonomy in developing nations. He spoke on his experiences establishing the African Society for Laboratory Medicine and his current work on advancing education in Africa. While health care autonomy should be the ultimate goal in global health, it is important to align investments in developing nations with their own priorities and needs. As Nkengason emphasized, trust should be the foundation of global health. 

Another portion of our dialogue was on the topic of Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to our conversation, I credited big pharmaceutical companies—the likes of Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson—for alleviating the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. These names dominated news headlines, and naturally, my subconscious worked to associate them with the resolution of the pandemic. However, Nkengasong emphasized that the task of managing a pandemic stretches far beyond simply mass-producing vaccines. Pandemic efforts are equally bolstered by vaccine distributors and the health care professionals who administer said vaccines. Given nations in conflict such as Ethiopia or Somalia, the role of these individuals was difficult but crucial in managing the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. 

Nkengasong mentioned that the most effective way to reach people in these conflict zones was by remembering the four C’s: coordination, collaboration, cooperation, and communication. By communicating with the local people, health care workers were able to build a relationship, and once a relationship was built, vaccine administration was able to happen even in the most serious war zones.

This segment of the discussion was one of my most memorable takeaways. The four C’s and the importance of dialogue can be applied in many aspects of global health, including our own nation’s current healthcare crisis. There is a sense of disconnect between the general public and people in government, and mending this breakage through a restoration of communication can ignite collaboration and coordination, which are two things that our health care system seems to lack. For me, my time with Nkengasong has inspired conversations beyond the classroom, and I am grateful to leave with ideas that will last a lifetime. 

Daniel Lee (C’27) is an undergraduate student majoring in neurobiology at Georgetown University.