Harvard Global Health Institute

New in global health this week: A recent article from Gavi’s VaccinesWork explores how the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo involves not only containing the spread of the virus, but also addressing the challenges of misinformation, trust, and community engagement.

“When the message comes from a local chief or a pastor known to the community, people listen more closely. Our role is to help the community understand that health teams are there to protect lives.” — Ignace Bingi, pastor in Bunia

In eastern DRC, health teams have faced challenges as rumours and misinformation contribute to fear and mistrust, making it more difficult to identify cases, support affected families, and implement prevention measures. Community leaders, health workers, radio announcers, and local organizations are working together to share information, address concerns, and strengthen awareness around Ebola prevention and care.

📌 Read more: https://bit.ly/3Sy67iW

In the DRC fighting Ebola means fighting rumours In Ituri, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), misinformation is raising the risk that Ebola patients and their contacts remain hidden from health teams.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death globally, accounting for almost 20 million deaths in 2023. The burden of cardiovascular disease is also disproportionately concentrated in low- and middle-income countries, which account for approximately 80% of the global burden. Addressing this challenge requires improved approaches to identifying individuals at highest risk and implementing prevention strategies more effectively.

: Our latest Research & Innovation Speaker Series session with Prof. Goodarz Danaei focused on advancing cardiovascular risk prediction through data, evidence, and new modeling approaches.

Prof. Danaei explores how combining observational studies, population surveys, and advanced statistical methods can improve the accuracy and applicability of cardiovascular risk models across diverse populations and the future direction of more adaptable, locally relevant risk prediction tools.

📌 Read the full Q&A, key takeaways, and resources here: https://bit.ly/4ve7Kki

Advancing Cardiovascular Risk Prediction Through Data, Evidence, and New Modeling Approaches - Harvard Global Health Institute In the recent Research & Innovation Speaker Series talk, “Combining Evidence from Observational Studies and Population Surveys to Better Predict Cardiovascular Disease Risk,” Goodarz Danaei, MD, Bernard Lown Professor of Cardiovascular Health, Global Health and Population at Harvard T.H. Chan Sc...

New in global health this week: Former Harvard LEAD Fellow Dr. Marie Roseline Darnycka BELIZAIRE has been featured in a recent United Nations interview discussing the ongoing Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dr. Belizaire, who serves as Africa’s Emergencies Director at the World Health Organization, emphasizes the central role of community engagement in outbreak control. Health workers, she noted, are working closely with local actors, including women’s groups, youth leaders, motorcycle taxi drivers, and traditional healers, to address misinformation and strengthen public understanding of prevention and care pathways.

“Instead of dismissing widely held beliefs, health workers are seeking to integrate science so that sick people come forward for treatment.”

📌 Read more & listen here: https://bit.ly/4uxxyqE

Ebola response in DR Congo: It’s all about trust, and teamwork Health workers responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are working closely with local communities, recognising that trust is as critical as testing and treatment, to stop the disease in its tracks.Dr Marie-Roseline Belizaire, Africa’s Emergencies Director for the W...

New in global health this week: as the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to expand, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that response teams are already “playing catch-up.”

The outbreak, now among the largest Ebola events on record, has intensified scrutiny of outbreak detection timelines, surveillance capacity, laboratory diagnostics, and the broader resilience of global health security systems.

As Stephanie Psaki, Anya Hirschfeld, and Allison Krugman note in Think Global Health, “an Ebola outbreak circulating undetected for weeks or months is a collective failure of global health security, regardless of cause.”

The authors point to persistent gaps in disease surveillance, diagnostic infrastructure, and sustained response capacity, while also raising concerns about how recent disruptions to global health funding and staffing may affect preparedness and long-term response efforts.

As WHO, Africa CDC, and international partners continue mobilizing resources, the outbreak is likely to test not only emergency response systems, but also the durability of global investments in health security infrastructure.

📌 Read more via Think Global Health: https://bit.ly/3RNwuBf

Charting Ebola Responses: How 2026 Stacks Up After Aid Cuts | Think Global Health An Ebola outbreak circulating undetected for weeks or months is a collective failure of global health security, regardless of cause

The Environmental Pressures on Malaria Scholarly Working Group, funded by the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) and led by Flaminia Catteruccia, Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, convened the symposium “Malaria in a Changing World: Past Lessons, Present Challenges, and Future Solutions” on May 15, 2026.

The symposium brought together researchers, faculty, and students from across Harvard University and partner institutions to examine the intersecting environmental, biological, and societal pressures shaping the future of malaria transmission, prevention, and eradication efforts.

Presentations from experts explored the historical evolution of malaria parasites, the effects of climate change and environmental degradation on transmission dynamics, emerging resistance to insecticides and antimalarial therapies, and innovative approaches to malaria prevention and control. Speakers also highlighted advances in genomic surveillance, monoclonal antibody development, epidemiological modeling, and sustainable vector control strategies.

Featured speakers: Manoj Duraisingh, Megan Michel, Dyann F. Wirth, Marcia Castro, Daniel E. Neafsey, Fitsum Tadesse, Flaminia Catteruccia, Caroline Buckee, Azza Hussein Idris, MD,PhD

Thank you to all attendees, speakers, and partners! This event was co-sponsored by the Defeating Malaria: From the Genes to the Globe Initiative, the Nigerian Student Association At Harvard Chan, and the Harvard Undergraduate Premedical Society (HUPS) Society.

📌 Read the recap article & watch the recordings: https://bit.ly/4xbcdFT

Malaria is gaining ground—but researchers are developing promising new solutions | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health At a recent symposium, malaria researchers from Harvard Chan School and beyond discussed the disease's history, current challenges, and breakthroughs.

HGHI Affiliated Faculty member Dr. Kiran Agarwal-Harding and collaborators in Boston, Botswana, and Rwanda are leading an important global educational initiative focused on improving management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), a leading cause of preventable maternal mortality worldwide.

The upcoming educational conferences, Safe Labor & Delivery – Postpartum Hemorrhage 2026, will raise awareness and teach practical knowledge and skills to providers in resource limited settings.

📅 September 16–19, 2026
🌍 Virtual webinar series

We encourage colleagues, trainees, and global health professionals interested in maternal health and obstetric care to learn more and register:

SONA Global Academy SONA Global Academy - Advancing surgical education and innovation for all

With governments and donors now actively shaping AI policy for health, how do we ensure the evidence base and frontline capacity keep pace with the speed of deployment, and where does hype outpace the evidence?

Speakers explored these questions in our latest Coffee Session, Can AI Transform Global Health? Promise, Progress, and Reality.

📌 The recording & resource page is now available: https://bit.ly/4e0LvqU

The conversation examined where AI is already making an impact in healthcare, and where important gaps remain. Topics included AI-assisted malaria diagnosis in remote settings, real-world AI case studies from WHO, the growing role of chatbots and frontline AI tools, and the challenge of deploying AI responsibly across global health systems.

Featuring:

• Rose Nakasi, PhD — Makerere University Centre for Artificial Intelligence (Mak-AI)

• Sameer Pujari — World Health Organization

• Moderated by Matthew Bonds, PhD — Harvard Medical School & Pivot Works, Inc.

RECORDING: Can AI Transform Global Health? Promise, Progress, and Reality - Harvard Global Health Institute This discussion examines whether AI can meaningfully strengthen global health systems by addressing challenges such as workforce shortages, delayed diagnostics, fragmented data systems, and outbreak preparedness, while critically exploring the growing gap between rapid AI deployment and the evidence...

🌍 This summer, 43 undergraduate students are beginning global health research and internship experiences with 29 partner organizations across the U.S. and around the world through the Harvard Global Health Institute’s 2026 Summer Research and Internship Program.

Students will work on projects spanning infectious disease research, mental health, maternal and child health, climate and health, health policy, and more, contributing to organizations and communities across Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Through research placements, internships, and community-engaged field experiences, students are gaining hands-on experience while advancing HGHI’s mission to prepare future leaders in global health.

We are grateful to our partner organizations for making these opportunities possible and stay tuned for updates on the 2026 cohort throughout the summer.

📌 Read more:

Students Begin Summer Global Health Research and Internship Programs in U.S. and Around the World - Harvard Global Health Institute The Harvard Global Health Institute is proud to announce the launch of the HGHI Summer Research and Internship Program for 2026. This summer, 43 undergraduate students begin immersive research and internship experiences with 29 partner organizations across the world, addressing some of the most pres...