Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Health Leadership
January 11, 2019
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Global health addresses our global interdependence and collective exposure to health threats that do not recognize geographic borders. Drawing heavily on the APRU Global Health Program expertise and using recent examples of global health leadership challenges from the Asia Pacific as a field overview from multiple perspectives, Global Health Leadership: Case Studies From the Asia-Pacific examines how major health challenges have been addressed based on direct experiences of academics, specialists, and experts at the forefront of global health leadership.

The book, co-edited by APRU Global Health Program leaders, Dr. Mellissa Withers of University of Southern California and Dr. Judith McCool of The University of Auckland, covers a wide range of disciplines—from tobacco control and non-communicable diseases to maternal health services and disaster preparedness—in a variety of societal contexts. Global health experts from both inside and outside of the APRU network contributed to this book. Intended as a resource in the broader endeavor to exchange professional experience, Global Health Leadership: Case Studies From the Asia-Pacific encourages cooperation across borders of all kinds to inform public policy at all levels.

“The uniqueness of this book (Global Health Leadership: Case Studies From the Asia-Pacific) lies in its attention to diverse societal contexts, as well as a range of active disciplines concerned with the same issues within them,” says Prof. Sofia Gruskin, Director of USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health. “Global Health specialists at the forefront of interdisciplinary research across Asia Pacific not only contributed their visions, intellect, and professional knowledge to this endeavor, but re-emphasized the importance of attention to culture and leadership in addressing any global health challenge.”

Global Health is an area of study, research and practice of growing importance. It focuses on worldwide health improvement (including mental health), reduction of inequities, and protection against global threats that disregard national borders. According to APRU 2018 Impact Report: Transformative Solutions to Asia-Pacific Challenges, between 2012 and 2016, publications that contain the term, global health, have risen 61 percent. Over this same period, 24,000 publications include the term. Today, health policies have local, regional, and global implications never foreseen before, where the determinants of health have become increasingly global and thus beyond the control of any individual nation-state. By reading this book, students can learn to identify key trends and issues, along with policy implementation, partnership development, and leadership measurement in the Asia-Pacific global health context.

Global Health Leadership: Case Studies From the Asia-Pacific is now available at https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319956329

The APRU Global Health Program aims to leverage the global health education and research of Asia-Pacific universities to address global health issues through interaction with public policy and media. Since its launch in 2007, the program has covered a significant range of topics including emerging public health threats, aging and chronic diseases, infectious diseases and health security issues. It has engaged academics, policy leaders, media specialists and communities on non-communicable diseases and on global health issues on campus.