Director's Message
Welcome to Global Health Systems (GHS), an inter-faculty program awarding a degree in the Master of Management of Applied Science (MMASc). This intensive one year GHS program has graduated more than 60 students since its inception in 2015, and over 40 since my tenure as director starting in 2017. I have also witnessed and helped in the placement of these graduates in jobs related to health care sector around the world or to continue their education in Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and other Professional programs. I know that their education in global health and management will provide a global perspective to their profession and a greater understanding of health in marginalized populations.
My personal and professional interests in the field of Global Health are firmly rooted in my 20+ year involvement with HIV AIDS research in Uganda, Cameroon, Brazil, Argentina, and China. I have been committed to a multidisciplinary approach to understand both the biological and social determinants of infectious diseases. The lessons learned from global AIDS pandemics to-date highlight the importance of training the next generation of healthcare providers and policy makers on the management, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases, with special attention to the challenges with implementation in under-resourced communities. The Global Health Systems Program at Western aims to do just that.
During my involvement with the GHS program since 2015, Uganda has developed into our home for our signature 3-week Field School and one to three-month practicum projects. Our travelling Field School visits health care facilities across Uganda, starting with the clinics in a highly impoverished fishing village to the national services for management of HIV, TB and malaria in Kampala. We visit national parks and rural communities to understand the intersection and balance between the environment, the local economy, and the needs for health care. Likewise, we place students in variety of practicums, e.g. related to the increase in metabolic disorder, the delivery of anti-HIV drugs to meet UN/WHO goals, or understanding the challenges of mental health in marginalized groups. We hope to build upon our longstanding partnership around the world to ensure our program continues to grow in size and scope.
We hope that GHS program will inspire you and that you will be one of those applicants/students that consider providing and managing health care to the most underserved populations as your professional calling.
Eric J Arts, PhD
