Global impact through education

[Fall 2013 Centennial issue]

From its earliest days, HSPH has enjoyed a reputation as a global center for public education and research, in part a reflection of the strong support the School received from the Rockefeller Foundation to promote international research and training efforts. Each year, the School graduates candidates from 60-plus countries, with a third coming from outside the U.S. Learning is a lifetime pursuit, and the School has offered numerous opportunities for public health managers and leaders to hone their abilities. For example, the Global Flagship Course on Health Systems Strengthening and Sustainable Financing—a collaboration between HSPH and the World Bank Institute—has enrolled more than 20,000 health care leaders from more than 50 countries since 1997. Since 2005, the HSPH China Initiative has convened hospital and health systems leaders from the U.S. and China for exchanges to improve health in both countries. In the last two years, two new programs aimed at ministers of health and finance, run in conjunction with Harvard’s Kennedy School and the African Bank, have attracted some 40 cabinet-level leaders from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Among the HSPH alumni who have held leadership roles around the world:

Current Ministers of Health

Afghanistan: Suraya Dalil, MPH ’05
Thailand: Pradit Sintavanarong, MPH ’89
Indonesia: Nafsiah Mboi, TF ’91

Past Ministers of Health

Papua New Guinea: Clement Malau, MPH ’95, 2007–2011
Indonesia: Endang Sedyaningsih, MPH ’92, SD ’97, 2009–2012
Taiwan: Ching-Chuan Yeh, SM ’81, 2008–2009
Colombia: Beatriz Londoño Soto, MPH ’90, 2011–2013
India: K. Sujatha Rao, TF ’92, 2009–2010

CDC Directors (Five of the last 10)

Jeffrey Koplan, MPH ’78, 1998–2002
James O. Mason, MPH ’63, DPH ’67, 1983–1989
William Foege, MPH ’65, 1977–1983
David Sencer, MPH ’58, 1966–1977
James L. Goddard, MPH ’55, 1962–1966

WHO Directors

Gro Harlem Brundtland, MPH ’65, 1998–2003

Heads of State

Cook Islands: Thomas Davis, MPH ’54, Prime Minister, 1978–1983, 1983–1987
Norway: Gro Harlem Brundtland, MPH ’65, Prime Minister, 1990–1996
Uganda: Speciosa Wandira-Kasibwe, SD ’09, Vice President, 1994–2003

 

Madeline Drexler