Congratulations to the Smart Global Health essay contest winners
When the Center for Strategic and International Studies launched SmartGlobalHealth.org last July, it wanted to try something new.
The Commission on Smart Global Health is comprised of politicians, academics, and assorted leaders in the field of global health. But the members of the commission wanted to open the discussion of global health policy to include citizen experts from all over the world. So they hired Blue State Digital to deploy an online contest to help them gather responses for its final report.
Starting in October, the commission asked students and interested citizens around the world to submit their best ideas for improving global health. The response was overwhelming: In just over six weeks, the commission received more than a thousand essays. They came from all 50 U.S. states, 6 continents, and more than 43 countries.
At long last, the winners have been announced. Congratulations to Annie Dude, Dr. Andrew Robertson, Dr. Michael Strong, and Rodrigo Arnez Rojas, M.D.
Annie Dude, the top student winner, has studied medicine in India, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. In her essay, she explains that many trained medical students would be willing to work overseas if they simply had the facilities and supplies to treat patients. But for Dude, it goes beyond just writing a check:
"... What the U.S. really needs in order to accomplish anything useful overseas are partners. Partners that speak the local language, that have the trust of the local population, that can tell us as outsiders the best way to go about solving problems. The most important thing the United States can do to improve global health in the next fifteen years is to invest in long-term partnerships with medical professionals and institutions overseas."
The top winner in the non-student category was Michael Strong, a member of the department of genetics at Harvard Medical School who has spent the last decade researching tuberculosis. Strong's impressive essay calls on the U.S. to better fund the research that can provide major healthcare breakthroughs, increase our collaborations with people and organizations in developing countries, and "do more to educate individuals regarding global health issues at home and abroad."
Ms. Dude and Dr. Strong were both awarded $1,000. The runners-up, Dr. Robertson and Dr. Rojas, each won $500.
Congratulations again to everyone who submitted an essay. We admire your invaluable insights and your dedication to the cause of global health.
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