After three decades in the field as a global health researcher, I firmly believe there is no substitute for being present in the communities we are working to serve. It’s why during my first year as director of the Duke Global Health Institute, I’ve made a commitment to visit as many of our global partners and potential collaborators as possible.
This promise has taken me in recent months to South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Thailand and Singapore, as well as to see some of our institute’s work in rural North Carolina. Soon I’ll add China and Sri Lanka to that list, and I plan to keep up an active schedule meeting and listening to our global partners and exploring ways to deepen our collaborations around the world.
I have been profoundly inspired by what I’ve seen on these trips, and it’s not just the impact of our research and training activities on the ground in these communities. What my travels have reaffirmed for me is that there is nothing so foundational to our work as the mutual exchange of knowledge and perspective. Our ability to effect lasting change flows directly from this commitment to be on the ground, engaging with local communities and institutions in true, equitable partnership.
As you read the stories in this report, you’ll encounter many compelling examples of this commitment. We have chosen the theme, “Bright Ideas, Brighter Futures,” to reflect both the creativity and the optimism our faculty, staff, students and global partners bring to their efforts to address health disparities around the world. These bright ideas, however, are not the product of individuals working in isolation, but the result of years of bilateral exploration and collaboration. This is what makes them so powerful, and why I am so proud to share them with you.
I am grateful to everyone who makes the work you will read about here possible, including our talented researchers and scholars, our many global partners, and the organizations and individuals who provide critical funding and philanthropic support to sustain our missions. When we work together, with mutual respect and shared purpose, our ideas have the power to move us toward a brighter collective future.
Thank you for your support of our institute,
Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH
Director, Duke Global Health institute
