Today’s global health challenges are increasingly becoming issues of political importance, transforming the traditionally independent, humanitarian and limited role of global health into a major foreign policy issue with implications for national security. SAIS is well positioned to contribute to the expanding field of global health in foreign policy.
Founded in late 2006, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Health and Foreign Policy Initiative (GHFPI) works to bridge the divide between global health efforts and the economic, political and national security context in which foreign policy initiatives are created.
GHFPI is housed within the SAIS International Policy (IP) Program directed by Scott Barrett, professor of environmental economics and international political economy. Harley Feldbaum, GHFPI’s associate director and a 2000 graduate of The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said he and Barrett hope to make the initiative the leading center for research and training in this growing field.
The initiative has increased the number of courses focusing on global health, including Health Economics, International Health Policy and a class on HIV/AIDS. Previously, IP students could choose to specialize in energy, environmental or technology policy. With the creation of GHFPI, students now have the option to focus their studies on health policy. Barrett says, “Thanks mainly to this initiative, IP has developed a program in international health policy that is likely to become a standard for other graduate schools in international relations.”
For students most interested in global health, joint-degree fellowships—with the Bloomberg School—as well as paid summer fellowships are available. These fellowships allow students to spend time in the field, applying practical knowledge. Most recently students worked in Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Zambia, as well as in Washington, D.C.
The initiative is expanding its programs into the broader policy community by hosting a seminar series as well as congressional briefings in conjunction with the Bloomberg School to better inform elected officials. The last two seminars in the spring semester looked at the politics surrounding the renewal of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the challenges of eradicating polio.
The initiative is arranging for a number of visiting scholars to participate in research and activities throughout the academic year. GHFPI also maintains a blog, where users discuss relevant issues (http://globalhealth.sais-jhu.edu/).
Feldbaum hopes these tools will help reach a broader audience and facilitate discussion on the influence of global health issues within international relations. “It’s an exciting time to be exploring the intersection of global health and foreign policy at SAIS,” he added.
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