Event

Tea with Africa: How do we ensure equitable global health partnerships with African researchers, institutions and communities?

equitable global health partnerships with Africa

The George Institute for Global Health invites you to its next webinar in the 'Tea with Africa' conversation series on Tuesday 18th July at 7:00am GMT, 8:00am WAT, 8:00am BST, 9:00am CAT, 10:00am EAT, 1:30pm IST, 5:00pm AEST.

In this panel discussion, the speakers will share their experiences with research partnerships involving African researchers, institutions and communities. 

Attendees will gain insights into pragmatic and culturally sensitive approaches to establishing and maintaining equitable partnerships in multiple African contexts

About Tea with Africa

The 'Tea with Africa' series is part of The George Institute's efforts to promote global health collaboration with African researchers, institutions, and communities. Each event allows for the exchange of knowledge between African and non-African researchers. Participants are encouraged to share their unique challenges and solutions, as well as discuss the implications for different regions. Those who wish to contribute more or connect with others are encouraged to share contact information and/or send event reflections for possible inclusion in the event wrap-up blog.

Register here

Speakers

  • A/Prof. Julie Balen - Professor of Health Systems and Global Change, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, UK.

    Julie Balen is Professor of Health Systems and Global Change at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. She is also a Visiting Professor at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, Nepal, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Julie is an interdisciplinary research leader with 20 years of experience in the field of global public health. Her work spans across multiple areas, including: (i) health systems strengthening for the control and elimination of poverty-related diseases; (ii) health systems resilience to disasters and emergencies, including pandemics; and (iii) health system responsiveness to neglected and stigmatised reproductive health issues.

    Julie works closely with multiple academic and non-academic partners in selected settings across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, in particular China, Nepal, Ghana and The Gambia. She currently leads an award-winning multi-stakeholder network on fertility care in the Global South, and several other projects. With her research and collaborations, Julie aims to transform health services through a systems approach, especially among under-served populations. Julie has extensive experience in teaching and supervision and a passion for professional development and capacity building. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Biology (Imperial College London, UK, 2004) and a Ph.D. in Public Health and Epidemiology (University of Queensland, Australia, 2009). Julie is delighted to have been invited to “tea with Africa” as part of the Thought Leadership Program at The George Institute for Global Health.

  • Prof. Andre Paschal Kengne – Unit Head, Non – Communicable Diseases, South African Medical Research Council.

    Professor Andre Pascal Kengne is a medical doctor and internist from the School of Medicine of Yaounde in Cameroon; and holds a Ph.D. in medicine from the Sydney University, Australia. He is the current Director of South African Medical Research Council’s Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit, and holds conjoint appointments as Professor at the Department of Medicine of the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His areas of research include chronic diseases epidemiology and prevention in developing countries, decision-making in diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He has a solid background on longitudinal studies methodologies, both interventional and observational, as well as related statistical methods. He has practiced Medicine in Africa, lectured and mentored on issues relating to chronic diseases and conducted research on those conditions at a very high level both in Africa and at the global level. He is co-author of over 450 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and monographs on chronic diseases in Africa and at the global level. He has received several distinctions during his career as a researcher, and is a member of many international experts and working groups.

  • Prof Cristina Stefan – Director of The Institute of Global Health Equity Research, University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda.

    Professor Cristina Stefan completed her pediatrics residency and Oncology Fellowship at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, her Masters in Cancer Epidemiology from York University in the UK, Ph.D. in Medical Education and an MBA from ISM in Paris. She was also a fellow at St Jude Children’s Cancer Research Hospital and a fellow of Cancer registration and epidemiology program at IARC in Lyon. Professor Cristina has published 3 books, 18 chapters, and more than 125 articles so far.

    She has served at different leadership positions including head of the department of oncology at Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University and Vice-President of the Medical Research Council in South Africa. She was the past president of AORTIC, founder of the African Cancer Institute and the African Medical, Research and Innovation Institute. She also served as chair and founder of the African Cancer Economics Network and chair of women in global oncology. Currently, she is involved in global oncology, consulting for WHO, and helping shape Global Cancer Control Plans. In recognition of her contributions to science and community advancement, she was voted as the most influential woman in business and government in Africa in 2016, and in 2019 was nominated among the top 100 healthcare women leaders in Asia.

  • Host/Moderator: Dr. Kenneth Yakubu

    Yakubu completed his undergraduate and medical specialist training in Nigeria and worked as a consultant family physician for four years before migrating to Australia.

    Following his clinical training, he earned an MPhil (Family Medicine) from Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa, and an MBA (Health Units Management) from the Cyprus Institute of Marketing. His research and professional efforts were then focused on understanding and improving the learning experiences of undergraduate and graduate trainees in family medicine, as well as identifying family-centred approaches to improving health service delivery.

    He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of New South Wales Faculty of Medicine and Health in Sydney, Australia, and co-leads The George Institute's initiative for collaboration with African researchers and institutions.

    His Ph.D. Thesis investigated global and domestic governance systems for skilled health worker migration, the extent to which they feature human rights norms, and the opportunities for achieving equitable global health workforce distribution.

    Yakubu intends to conduct more research on sustainable health workforce models and governing systems at the intersection of social justice and health equity.

Further reading

Lowitja Institute’s International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference

Celebrating First Nations Knowledge and Community: Reflections from the Lowitja Institute’s 3rd International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference

Recently the Guunu-maana (Heal) Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health team attended and presented at one of the most anticipated health conferences of the year. The Lowitja Conference, named after Yankunytjatjara woman and renowned advocate Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue, is held every two years. The conference draws people from across Australia and the world who work in First Nations’ health. This year over a thousand people gathered on the lands of the Gimuy Walubarra Yidinji people in Cairns, Queensland, the first time the conference was held since 2019 due to Covid. 

Truth, Rights, Response 

The themes of Truth, Rights, Response were weaved throughout keynote speeches, presentations and posters. Alyawarre woman and Chairperson of the Lowitja Foundation, Pat Anderson AO opened the conference with a powerful address on the hard-won achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research now in the hands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over a process of 25 years. “We are in charge now”, she said. Scholar Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Porou, Māori) reflected on the responsibility to listen to the truth and protect what has been won in First Nations health. 

Guunu-maana showcase of work 

The Guunu-maana (Heal) team showcased the work of a number of projects, including trust-building in burn care delivery and planning (Community Coordinated Burns Care project), non-Aboriginal health workers’ experiences of working with Aboriginal health workers in acute care settings, building cultural safety and capability for burn services, organisational reform at an Aboriginal Health Unit leading to change child removal outcomes, and dance as a decolonised methodology. The team held a workshop on the Guunu-maana (Heal) program model and redefining the research paradigm. Posters showcased the work of the Safe Pathways project, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health services community engagement project and the food and water for life project. 

Individual reflections from the team 

“I was so proud to see so many powerful First Nations women and the men being their cheerleaders and supporting them and the other organisations across Australia reaching for the same goals.” Bianca Barnier 

"As I reflect on the Lowitja conference I was amazed at how many great presentations there were. I have come away with a wealth of knowledge that I can use in my own writing. It was amazing to network with so many people. The whole conference was amazing." Elizabeth Bourke  

“Attending the Lowitja conference was an incredibly empowering and healing experience. Seeing the scope of work that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters are producing as well as the work of our Indigenous cousins from around world was deeply inspiring and reinforced that we’re not alone in the journey towards better health outcomes for our people. It was a space where we shared knowledge, recognising achievements, and celebrating the strength of our Indigenous cultures and people.” Alinta Trindall 

“Wow, what an amazing experience, I’m so impressed with how many great new leaders and our Elders leading the way, the many people doing their work for our mob and communities, with so much passion and striving for better outcomes. It was a great conference for networking and hearing about so many amazing projects and initiatives. This conference would be one of the best and most organised I have experienced.” Ty Madden 

“The Lowitja conference is one of those events that I always look forward to attending. It was invigorating to hear all the work being done in Australia and Internationally. The key note speakers were exceptional and catering was fantastic. The conference provides an opportunity where all our First Nations peoples and allies can come together to share knowledges, learn from each other and unite together in our collective cause, such a motivating experience.” Bobby Porykali  

“What a privilege to be there! Hearing all the speakers share their knowledge and experience and challenge all of us to continually consider what we do and how we do it. It was wonderful having the chance to connect and reconnect with people we may not have seen in person for years. And doing all that and having been welcomed onto the amazing lands of the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji and Yirrganydji peoples! Truly an incredibly valuable experience.” Kate Hunter 

”The Lowitja Conference is a significant platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration with other First Nations researchers. Watching all the inspiring work presented and the collective commitment to improving the health and well-being of our communities was revitalising.” Julieann Coombes 

“It’s hard to find words to describe what it’s like to be surrounded by so many amazing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and global First Nations leaders doing amazing work and being so generous in knowledge sharing. There are so many lessons and pearls of wisdom to sit with and consider. I feel energised to bring what we have learnt into continuing the work we do for First Nations health at TGI.” Keziah Bennett-Brook 

“As a non-Indigenous person I felt privileged to be able to attend and present at such an amazing conference. I went home feeling absolutely inspired after hearing all the amazing Indigenous-led projects that are being conducted all over Australia and overseas. It was also amazing to experience the sense of community shared by everyone attending the conference and how welcoming everyone was. It truly was a portray of the strength and depth of Indigenous knowledges and communities. I came back home feeling even more honoured of having the opportunity to work with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.” Camila Kairuz Santos 

"I think one of the strongest 'lightbulbs' for me was hearing our keynote speakers on Thursday morning each saying in their own way ‘Its our right to care for and be cared by our people, we should not feel respected because 'we' are allowed too’. Overall, it was a powerful gathering full of old friends, colleagues and new who create so much collective pride from their accomplishments. So much to learn from and aspire towards." Telphia Joseph 

“The Lowitja conference was an incredible opportunity to hear from leaders in First Nations health globally. It was an honour to be part of a gathering that truly centred First Nations people’s voices and experiences. I went away feeling invigorated and full of ideas to strengthen my research with the Aboriginal communities I work with.” Jacek Anderst 

Further reading

New study shows common blood pressure meds under-used for migraine

Media release

The first known large-scale review of international studies on the positive effect of blood pressure (BP) medicines across all classes in preventing migraine shows these common drugs could be used much more widely, at low cost, than is the case with current practice, according to a new paper published today in the journal, Cephalalgia.1

Subscribe to