Vital

News & commentary about the global health workforce

Where is the Evidence on Building Sustainable Health Systems in a World of Unrest?

Civil unrest is spreading quicker than a pandemic across the Middle East and North Africa. How will these events affect people’s health and the health systems in these countries?

Open Source at the State Department: Loud, Timely, Not Your Parents’ State Department

Last Friday, I was in Washington, D.C., for Tech@State’s Open Source Conference. Tech@State is an inspiring step by the State Department, connecting technologists to targeted goals of the U.S. diplomacy and development agenda via networking events as part of Secretary Clinton's 21st Century Statecraft initiative.

Local Solutions, Global Solidarity, and Accountability

While the Second Global Forum on Human Resources for Health was full of opportunities, it was also quite deficient in addressing the one global issue that continues to hinder progress.

What Brought Us Here Won’t Get Us There: Implementing Country-level Health Workforce Development Plans

Three years ago, we met in Kampala, Uganda, to discuss the critical needs of the global health workforce. Last week in Bangkok, we gathered to take stock of what we’ve accomplished since. Today, 86%...

It Doesn’t Count If You Can’t Count It: Measuring Successes in the Health Workforce

Gathering the right evidence to inform a program’s success or failure is the cornerstone of any health program.

Exploring the Siriraj Hospital at the Second Global Forum on HRH

Despite the 6:30 a.m. reporting time, the field trip to Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok—part of the Second Global Forum on Human Resources for Health—turned out to be one of the best events of the week.

Reconvening Hope for the Future of the Health Workforce

I want to write from Bangkok about why I am excited and hopeful about the future of the global health workforce.

mHealth Africa Summit—the Personal Emerging

Health workers in Ghana, Malawi, and other countries are using their phones to photograph physical symptoms. This is just one mHealth example.

Actual Needs and Donor Priorities in HIV/AIDS—The Frustrating Gap

Reading Samuel Loewenberg’s article, “Ethiopia Struggles to Make Its Voice Heard,” I thought, finally, someone is speaking out about something too many of us remain silent on—the vast gap in some countries between actual needs and donors’ perceived priorities, particularly when it comes to HIV/AIDS funding.

Educate Yourself: Stop Violence against Women

Last night, IntraHealth hosted 30 activists at its Chapel Hill headquarters to discuss nine strategies for activism against gender violence.