The PANAFRICAN Review
This is why UGHE is based in the remote , rural district of Butaro in the North of Rwanda . Students have the entire health sector as their classroom and learn from health practitioners and decision makers at national , district and community levels . With their teachers and the administrative and finance teams , students practice direct community engagement to support socio-economic improvement . This community-based medical education is accompanied by a strong humanities curriculum that enables students to look beyond the clinical contributors to illness , evaluate health system challenges through a historical , anthropological and sociological perspective and ultimately challenge the existing global structure of power that continues to exploit the vulnerable .
Training in leadership and management
We know that refusing to apply scientific knowledge puts populations and health professionals at risk . However , applying science is not sufficient . Universities should enable future scientists - health professionals , economists , sociologists , and political science experts - to take lessons from past outbreaks by explaining the “ what ”, the “ why ”, and the “ how ” of response to health threats , with approaches adapted in ways that ensure cultural acceptance and trust building . They should train all clinicians in social , community-based medicine , equip them with the skills to examine healthcare holistically through a biosocial angle , as well as with the managerial and leadership skills needed to build , repair and manage equitable and resilient health systems . At UGHE , this is a core component of all curricula and training and our Executive Education program transfers such skills and knowledge to health practitioners already in service in Rwanda , elsewhere in Africa , and beyond .
Addressing health inequities through research
During COVID-19 , researchers were under pressure to understand the virus and to find rapid interventions such as vaccines to halt the spread of the virus . The partnership between Oxford University and AstraZeneca which led to the development of one of the most widely used COVID-19 vaccines demonstrates this point . Oxford University applied an equity approach in research by conducting clinical trials of the vaccine in collaboration with the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa to ensure its efficacy in Africa . They also decentralized vaccine production out of high-income countries ( HICs ) through an agreement with the Serum Institute of India .
However , few universities focused on addressing socio-economic and health disparities exacerbated by COVID-19 . In fact , studies have shown that minority groups are inadequately represented in research , with just a few out of the 1,500 COVID-19 studies registered at the National Institute of Health clinical trials reporting data segregated by ethnicity . Inclusion of minority groups in studies is important to ensuring that health tools are equally efficient for all . Using this pandemic as an example , UGHE teaches that minorities and marginalized citizens are more vulnerable and conducts research to understand and address these inequities .
As we move towards evaluating universities based on their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ), UGHE stands as a prime example of how universities can address inequities .
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Dr Agnes Binagwaho is the Vice Chancellor University of Global Health Equity . Raissa Muvunyi ( Kings College London ), Alice Bayingana , Kedest Mathewos ( The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine ) contributed to the article .
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