What is Global Health?

Hetal Baman: When you looked at the title of this podcast, you might have thought, well, this is a no-brainer. What's funny is that I actually have gotten asked this question a few times. Just in the past month. I was introducing my podcast to a few people and telling them that the name of my podcast is Global Health Pursuit. And they came back to me saying, well, forgive me, but what do you mean by global health? So I thought I'd do a quick little solo episode on this. By the way, if you like this format and want me to do more short solo episodes where I chat with you about specific topics, please let me know. Maybe I'll do this once a month. Okay. If you're new here, my name is Hetal Baman, and welcome to the Global Health Pursuit, a podcast that seeks to answer tough questions about the world from a beginner's mindset.

So if you like this content, make sure to hit, follow or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Okay. Now, I did a little bit of research and it seems that the definition of global health is somewhat up in the air. Here are a couple definitions that I found in an article from the Global Health Action Journal. Kickbush defines global health as those health issues that transcend national boundaries and governments and call for actions on the global forces that determine the health of people. I'm gonna read that again because I feel like it's a little bit confusing the first time. Those health issues that transcend national boundaries and governments and call for actions on the global forces that determine the health of people. Okay, so when I think of this, I think of policy, legislation, governmental practices. Now another definition is by Koplan. They define global health as an area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving health equity for all people worldwide.

And when I read this, I feel like it emphasizes more of an academic spin on things stating things like research and study, which I think it's funny because there's a clear disconnect and difference when it comes to the thought process of being in somewhat of a corporate or governmental type role versus being in academia. I actually had a conversation that will be on the podcast very soon with Professor Eric Wetzel of Wabash College. He's the director of the global health program there. And he tells me that he oftentimes sees students thinking that. He tells me that he will oftentimes find students thinking that global health is a health major or a class for students who might only

Be on the pre-med track or a science track. So if you're someone who thinks that global health is only pertaining to healthcare, you're in for a little bit of a wake up call. What if I challenged you to think of global health, sort of like a mind map. You know that little brainstorming exercise where you put your main goal in the circle in the middle, and then you draw out lines that connects to other little bubbles or circles with topics that connect with other little bubbles that affect the main goal. In this case, the main goal is global health. So when you think about your overall health, what do you think of? I'd be writing things down like my environment. Uh, the food that I eat, the nutrition that I take in, maybe the vitamins that I have, the amount of water that I use, or clean water that I drink, that I use to clean my dishes with.

The amount of exercise that I do on a daily basis, the education that I have, the climate that I live in. Is my environment safe? Is the community that I live in safe and loving? Am I surrounded by love and care? Do I have fun? And of course, I'm not going to forget mental health and general healthcare because that is a big thing, but it's not the only thing. This is the reason why I don't only bring on quote unquote health experts onto the podcast because that's only a small piece of the puzzle. Recently I interviewed Akini Ayo on episode number 10 on how culture affects the health and wellbeing of children of immigrants culture. You know, it's something that you'd probably never equate to global health, but this ties into love and belonging. This then ties into community, which then can tie into your overall mental health.

Can you see the mind map happening here? There's like just bubbles that are connecting with each other. And then on episode 12 and seven, I speak to two different organizations that focus on bringing clean water to low resource regions around the world. They have different methods, but the same goal. And that is to reduce the number of deaths that are due to waterborne diseases, especially to reduce the number of deaths that happen to children who are under the age of five. So healthcare is truly only a tiny piece of the puzzle. And I would challenge you to look at it from 10 steps ahead, 10 steps ahead of the hospital or clinic setting. And I would challenge you to look at it and I would challenge you to look at how it affects your own life, not just the lives of those who live in impoverished conditions and not just the lives that you see on NGO commercials on tv.

Because once you're able to appreciate all of the factors that tie into your own health and wellbeing, then you can translate it into thinking globally for people everywhere. So in my non-academic humanistic definition, I believe that global health is anything and everything that affects the health, wellbeing, and growth of individuals and communities worldwide. And the goal of this podcast is to showcase the people and groups who are elevating the health and wellbeing of people all around the world. So I hope you found some value from this podcast episode, and if so, I hope you're subscribed. Wherever you're listening to your podcast, I'm gonna ask you to write me a review on Apple or Spotify. I will give you some brownie points, and if you want more brownie points, please write me a review on Apple or Spotify if you love the podcast. And join the mailing list to get first access to new episodes. Thanks for listening. I'll see you in the next one.