Latest news with #healthcareequity
Zawya
13 hours ago
- Health
- Zawya
DISD students speak at H20 Global Health Summit in Geneva
Dubai – A group of six students from the German International School Dubai (DISD) were honored today at the prestigious H20 Summit at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. Launched in 2018 by the G20 Health and Development Partnership, the H20 Summit is a global platform supporting the agendas of the G20 and G7, bringing together leaders and stakeholders to advance health and development priorities. DISD students were invited on stage this morning to present gifts to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In a deeply moving moment the students Lara Gutmann and Luca Erkol then delivered speeches that captured the urgency and passion of a new generation calling for global health equity. 'Listening to the voices of the future generation is vital to achieve health for all,' said Lara, reflecting on the DISD-hosted G20 youth simulation. 'We all deserve to live in good health, no matter the economic status of the country we call home.' Luca reinforced this message with a compelling appeal to G20 leaders: 'If global challenges are youth challenges, then global solutions must also be youth solutions,' he said. 'Global health – and youth health – is not just an agenda item; it is a commitment to all of the people not represented here… securing their future generations' right to dream.' The DISD student delegation was publicly commended in the opening keynote by South Africa's Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, who thanked them for their commitment and for hosting a Model G20 simulation on public health earlier this year in Dubai. 'I would also like to thank the students from the German International School Dubai… for their commitment in discussing and elevating the importance of global and public health for our future generations,' Dr. Motsoaledi said, highlighting their contribution in a video address to summit delegates. On May 8, DISD students took part in a G20 Simulation Workshop on Post-Pandemic Global Health, led by Hatice Küçük Beton, Executive Director of the G20 & G7 Health and Development Partnership. Organized by their teachers Sitem Kolburan and Louisa Willgrass, the workshop allowed students to assume the roles of world leaders, debate pressing health challenges, and explore the complexity of global diplomacy. Key topics included pandemic preparedness, the marketing of unhealthy food to children, and sustainable healthcare. A video documenting the simulation, including student reflections and a statement from Hatice Beton on the importance of youth engagement, was selected for presentation at the H20 Summit. Hatice Beton said in the video 'I was surprised very positively. They were so energized and really had concrete ideas, … and I think they can really drive some impact with some of the ideas they came up with today.' In a remarkable development, the Health Minister expressed interest in reviewing the students' recommendations for potential inclusion in the official G20 agenda when world leaders gather in Johannesburg in November 2025. The students' proposal – presented as a Model G20 Leaders' Declaration - included initiatives such as: A Global Youth Health Fund to support education and healthy lifestyle campaigns. A youth for health program integrating health education into school systems, and mobile health clinics in underserved regions across Africa and Southeast Asia. 'This moment shows the true impact of youth-led dialogue,' said Sitem Kolburan, the students' class and English teacher of the German International School Dubai. 'We are incredibly proud of our students for representing DISD and the youth of the world with such clarity, courage, and conviction.' With this international recognition, DISD is eager to further amplify youth voices and expand engagement with local and global partners. The school welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with media to share this inspiring milestone in student-led leadership and diplomacy. Media Contact: Corinna Rösner Head of Marketing and Communications DISD - German International School Dubai |
New York Times
7 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
The One Area Where Trump's N.I.H. Cuts Might Actually Make Sense
I study racial disparities in health. So much of my work is — or rather, was — supported by federal grants that have now been unceremoniously suspended or eliminated thanks to the Trump administration's ever-expanding war on diversity, equity and inclusion. So it might seem surprising for me to say that while I believe these funding freezes and cuts at the National Institutes of Health are, on the whole, detrimental for the country, they also present a long-overdue chance for us to rethink how we approach health disparities research. Racial minorities, especially Black, Latino and Indigenous people, routinely have worse health than white people. Though there are variations among racial and ethnic groups, generally speaking, minorities have higher rates of pretty much every major health problem you can think of, including diabetes, hypertension, stroke, obesity, psychotic disorders and most major cancers. These disparities are far from new. And though progress has been made in some areas, they continue to persist, cost the United States $451 billion in 2018 and will likely worsen in Mr. Trump's second term amid cuts to federal research and programs including Medicaid. Last summer, a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report revealed something that should've shaken every health disparities researcher: 'The U.S. has made little progress in advancing health care equity over the past two decades.' It's true. In 2023, I published an article in the journal Social Science and Medicine about what I call the 'health disparities research industrial complex' — the entrenched system of researchers, institutions, publications and funders that produces an endless churn of studies on health disparities without meaningfully reducing inequities. Health disparities research is an expensive parrot squawking the same things heard for years, telling us where disparities exist and why, but not much else. The new head of the N.I.H., Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, seems to agree. The first step to dismantling this research industrial complex and tangibly improving all Americans' lives is understanding that many studies greenlit by the N.I.H. have been charged simply with identifying and explaining the existence of health disparities; comparatively fewer have studied how to solve them. This made sense years ago when we didn't yet know that factors such as family structure, environment and education were major influences on the health outcomes of racial minorities. We now understand how and why health disparities arise — yet I continue to see researchers pitch studies that are little more than proverbial bridges to nowhere. Part of this is money-related. Some scientists studying health disparities are likely to propose studies that are more observational but easily funded instead of investigations that may actually close these gaps. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
