Book Review: Global Health Collaborations Challenges and Lessons

By | 9th November 2018

Title: Global Health Collaborations Challenges and Lessons
Editors: Margaret S. Winchester, Caprice A. Knapp, and Rhonda BeLue
Place of publication and publisher: New York City, Springer International Publishing
Date: 2018
Number of Pages: 107
Price: open access
ISBN Number: 9783319776859

Review by : Jaqueline Brodbin, Concordia University of Edmonton

 

Global Health Collaborations Challenges and Lessons is a theoretical and practical book geared toward the research conducted that can be translated into policy, advocacy and practice. The Pan Institution Network for Global Health (PINGH) is a collaboration created to incorporate all different countries and nations work and knowledge together, in order to lead enhancements in overall world health. This global institution collaboration provides opportunities for information and academic practices to be exchanged across communities. This book is important to interprofessional care as it addresses the importance of working together to achieve a balanced worldwide health system. It discusses the ways in which urbanization, climate change, demographic shifts, globalization, and politics affect not only our physical health, but also our mental health. It’s goal is to achieve equity in the health systems across the globe.

In this book, we learn about the experiments and research done and the theories and ideas brought from these various experiments, as well as the benefits, challenges and lessons learned. In order to address global health and health care challenges we need to collaborate; this includes collective decision making and open communication. This book is organized in chapters and subchapters. It discusses the many possibilities, and changes that could occur. It is also practical, giving an overview of the experiments and research done as well as discussing the grants and meetings taking place in order to help the program excel. The different areas of research are from PINGH members around the world, allowing diverse and reliable references.

Authors address some of the biggest health issues; looking at things such as levels of HIV and NCD, as well as maternal and child health in countries with different levels of urbanization, workloads and healthcare systems. These are important things to be addressed as they do have a major impact on citizens. Urbanization and migration have shown detriment on mental health and equity. Authors claim that there is inequity in the global health system, and the purpose of the PINGH collaboration is to achieve the desired equity, working together to understand the best balanced systems.

Short term immersion into low and middle-income countries is one of the approaches taken by the PINGH. Immersion in educational situations has proven to be beneficial in regards to global health; strengthening the ethical relationships, educating the global workforce, and influencing change in homes and workplace as well as learning cultural influences on health. Authors discuss ways in which we can adapt things to fit the contexts of different environments and countries. The challenge of this is finding funding.

Overall this book is enlightening and shines a light on some important issues and is working toward achieving world health and equity within the system.