MSc Global Urban Health

Congratulations, Our wonderful Master GUH ambassador Gabriela Pen Nasser! Celebrating the achievements of colleagues is always a joy. This time it is with Gabi. She was part of the 2019-20 cohort representing Brazil and Italy and recently chipped in to hold the fort as Master teaching coordinator when Sonia was briefly away. She is now back in Brazil working with an NGO and quite characteristic of her, reaching out to vulnerable children. Gabriela has recently published an insightful new article titled "Sufficiency Health-Wise: Sustainable Paths Towards Planetary and Public Health" in Frontiers in Public Health!  We extend our heartfelt thanks to Gabi for her talents, experience, hard work and passion and we warmly congratulate her on this remarkable publication.  You can read her article here: Front. Public Health. 12:1497657. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1497657. We, the Master GUH programme celebrate Gabriela’s success and the impactful contributions she continues to make in the fields of planetary and public health! Just what we are teaching our students!  Bravo cara Gabi... keep planting seeds... more tangible fruits will come! the path looks indeed green and solid!

Wrapping Up Global Health Concepts, Research Methods and Embracing the Festive Spirit! The MSc in Global Urban Health (GUH) students are diving into the final phase of the core module: Global Health and Research Methods, with assessments. This intensive journey has sharpened not only their research skills, laying a solid foundation for their future academic and professional pursuits but also dealing with stress fulfilling tight deadlines. Once this core module is complete on 13th December, it is time to celebrate their hard work and achievements!  As the holiday season approaches, the students will embrace the joy and spirit of Christmas, stepping united into the festive mood with well-deserved cheer. Stay tuned for more updates as the cohort continues their inspiring journey!

Exciting Lecture Series: “Planetary Health” Started!  We are thrilled to share that our Master GUH students have embarked on an incredible journey into the realm of Planetary Health!  The unique WS (winter semester) lecture series on Planetary Health, organized by the Center for Planetary Health at the University of Freiburg and the Institute for Infection Prevention and Control at Freiburg University Medical Center. This series will feature distinguished scientists from around the world, addressing urgent challenges and discussing projects that safeguard our planet’s health. From extreme weather events and migration to the rise of zoonotic diseases, these lectures highlight the critical connections between the health of our planet and humanity. Find more information on the upcoming lectures here: https://lnkd.in/eQat87Jr Join us on this journey to discover how we can build a healthier, more sustainable future for all. It is the time to act together for the health of our planet! #PlanetaryHealth #GlobalUrbanHealth #SustainableFuture #GUH

Vielen Dank lieber Manuel Hetzel ... Yes, together we can! ❤️ Gracias y nos vemos pronto!

Alumni update: For the last two weeks, the Master Global Urban Health together with the Center for Medicine and Society, welcomed our Alumna, Cohort 2017-18, Rocio Cardenas Sanchez, microbiologist and researcher from Colombia who won the DAAD scholarship "Research Stays for University Academics and Scientists, 2024". Rocio holds a position as researcher and Global Health lecturer at the Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela.  Working together under the supervision of our Master scientific adviser Prof. Dr. Axel Kroeger, they discussed ways how to keep contributing to the global response against arbovirus diseases (i.e. disease-causing viruses transmitted through the bite of mosquitoes and ticks).  The main objective of the DAAD scholarship Rocio received is to develop a training manual including standard operational procedures for the implementation of new interventions for mosquito control. The manual will facilitate capacity-building activities in local health services of Latin America, and help to improve the knowledge and technical skills of the health staff dealing with Vector-borne Diseases Control Programmes and to decrease the high number of cases and deaths related to dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika and others. Congratulations to Rocio and Prof. Dr. Axel Kroeger for this tangible achievement! You made us feel very proud! #GlobalUrbanHealth #AlumniAchievement #DAAD #GlobalHealth #VectorControl

Last Thursday, October 31st, and Friday, November 1st, our Master teaching coordinator, Dr. Sonia Diaz Monsalve, participated at the WHO TDR Global meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. This inspiring event brought together global minds to explore practical ways to enhance TDR Global initiatives, including the mentorship programme, community engagement strategies, and research capacity-building projects in low- and middle-income countries. The gathering also focused on aligning these initiatives with TDR's 2024-2029 Strategy to amplify global impact. One of the highlights was the launch of the updated Women in Science Compendium, shared through a motivating symposium featuring stories from powerful female scientists whose journeys have been supported by TDR grants. Over the two days, participants brainstormed on ways to strengthen research training activities that foster career development, identifying valuable insights that can also be integrated into our Master’s programme activities. Our heartfelt thanks go to the WHO TDR team for their continuous support and to Dr. Michael Mihut, for selecting Sonia to be part of this impactful global committee. We look forward to further collaboration to elevate research and training together!  #GlobalHealth #ResearchTraining #WomenInScience #CapacityBuilding

Congratulations to Reagan Tichenor! We are so happy to share that our USA student from 2021-2022 cohort, Reagan Tichenor, has begun a new position as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the O'Donnell School of Public Health at UT Southwestern, Texas, USA! With her strong background, teaching skills and dedication in Public Health, Reagan is ready to make a big impact in this new role supporting capacity building activities for new public health ambassadors. We, the Master Team, are incredibly proud of her achievement and wish her all the best as she continues her journey in academia and beyond. Dear Reagan: Keep shining! Wishing you ongoing success, both personally and professionally. #PublicHealth #UTSouthwestern #GraduateTeachingAssistant

🎉 Hasta la vista, Colombia! 🇨🇴 We officially said “Hasta la vista” to Colombia with the completion of the last summer course of the DAAD PAGEL project: "Preventing and Mitigating Health Effects of Migration and Violence on the Colombia-Venezuelan Border", held in Bogotá. 30 incredible participants from national and international institutions in public health and justice came together for this 3-day event, with academic guidance from the University of Freiburg, UFPS Cúcuta, and UPC in Valledupar. After 4 impactful years, we achieved our two main objectives: 1. Presented the key deliverables of the project 2. Explored how this successful model could be replicated in other regions facing similar migration challenges. Our dedicated team of facilitators, including our Master Teaching Coordinator Sonia Diaz Monsalve, our Scientific Advisor Axel Kroeger, along with academic partners from UFPS and UPC, delivered an impactful final summer course. We would like to immensely thank DAAD German Academic Exchange Service, our German donor, for helping enhance the analytical and managerial capacities of professionals across these sectors. We are very proud to see that the initial steps to make the project sustainable are evident: two Masters in human mobility, Migration and human rights in two Colombian academic institutions are underway. We can confidently say: Mission accomplished! "Blessed are those who work for peace." To all our Colombian PAGEL participants: Muchas gracias!