Global Health Programme

Our research examines how global health challenges manifest themselves as international affairs problems.

We at the Global Health Progamme deliver our work through the Centre for Universal Health.

We focus on the political economy of health and health sector reforms and improving governance in global health. We aim to accelerate progress towards the health-related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We also help countries strengthen health security.

Activities

Conducting independent research and analysis;
Facilitating dialogue between the international affairs and public health communities;
Advising governments on the political economy of universal health care;
Advising stakeholders including the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organization for Animal Health and others on global health security.

Research focus

Our work focuses on three often interlinked aspects of global health:

Universal Health Coverage
Global Health Security
Healthy Societies

What role should partnerships involving the biopharmaceutical industry play in advancing access to disease prevention and health care in low- and middle-income countries?

Improving global resilience against future pandemics and delivering on emissions targets are top priorities for Indonesia’s G20 presidency.

Progress towards SDG2: Zero Hunger has slowed in recent years; reform of the Rome-based UN agencies may hold the key to getting this initiative back on track.

Attacks on health personnel and facilities have been a regular feature of the war in Syria. Lessons from Syria can help develop more robust reporting of attacks in future conflicts.

Solidarity, at all levels of governance, is critical to suppressing the pandemic effectively. It requires strong political commitment and high levels of social cohesion.

Latest content

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Defining a clear role for the multilateral development banks and IMF will help clarify the overall structure for financing international health priorities.

Member content

From nuclear proliferation to African debt, here are the issues six of our expert contributors expect to make the news in the year ahead.

Experts from across Chatham House examine the range of domestic and foreign policy issues facing Rishi Sunak as he prepares to lead the UK government.

Latest projects

The aim of this project is to understand more clearly why the current issues with obtaining long term, large scale economic commitments keep occurring and what might be done about it.

The Commission for Universal Health brings together leaders in health, economics and politics to encourage a new generation of universal health reforms.

This project aims to identify the enablers and barriers to enhanced data use by National Public Health Institutes.

The PANDORA consortium aims to develop and strengthen outbreak response capacities across sub-Saharan Africa, in partnership with national governments and other international stakeholders.

This fellowship provides a mix of intensive orientation, interaction with African leaders in public health and high-level remote mentoring.

This project aims to provide evidence-based policy options for relevant and appropriate sustainable health solutions in Africa.

The Forum will develop evidence-based policy options and scenarios for governments to consider as they move towards universal health coverage.

This project has developed guidelines on how to create the right environment for public health data sharing and achieve good practice.

Understanding why bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics, and how to slow the development, and lessen the impact, of antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance.

The Programme aims to minimise the international public health risks associated with the rapid intensification of poultry production in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

This project will help the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation identify policies that support financially, environmentally and socially sustainable animal and aquaculture systems.

This project aims to support an alternative approach to laboratory biosafety and biosecurity in Africa, which better matches the local risks, needs and resources.

This project aims to assess the potential benefits of establishing One Health platforms and centres of excellence in both high–income and low- and middle-income settings.

This project aims to analyse the wide range of approaches taken to encourage healthy and environmentally sustainable diets.

The Centre on Global Health Security engaged leading thinkers in a process of dialogue, research and analysis on the future of the global health system.

Programme team

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Robert Yates

Director, Global Health Programme; Executive Director, Centre for Universal Health

Claire Muñoz Parry

Assistant Director, Global Health Programme

Adebusuyi Adeyemi MBE

Director, African Public Health Leaders Fellowship, Centre for Universal Health

Professor David Heymann

Distinguished Fellow, Global Health Programme

Emma Ross

Senior Research Fellow, Global Health Programme

Professor David Harper

Senior Consulting Fellow, Global Health Programme

Contact

For information on supporting the Global Health Programme, please contact [email protected].

Funding

The Global Health Programme seeks support from organizations which recognize the importance of independent and rigorously objective policy-focused research which will further understanding of key global health challenges and how they manifest themselves as foreign policy and international affairs problems.

The programme funds its activities through a combination of project grants from international organizations, government departments and private foundations; event sponsorship; fellowship support; and discretionary donations from corporate sponsors.

The Global Health programme does not seek or accept funding for its projects, research, events, or consultants’ work from tobacco companies and other entities that manufacture, market or advocate the use of tobacco products.

The programme recognizes the extensive body of scientific evidence that points to tobacco being harmful to human health and to it leading to more than five million deaths annually.

The UN’s view that ‘the interests of the tobacco industry and of public health are directly opposed’ is central to our work.

All research programmes and staff adhere to the Chatham House Principles for Independent Research and Convening. For further information on Chatham House’s overall funding, please visit the Our Funding pages.

The Global Health Programme would like to thank the following organizations for their support of our work:

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
Innovative Medicines Initiative
Open Society Foundations
Rockefeller Foundation
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Skoll Global Threats Fund
Weapons Threat Reduction Programme, Global Affairs Canada
World Health Organization
Zoetis