Sharing Experience and Evidence to Improve Global Health
As a physician and researcher in the field of infectious disease, Dr. Adrienne Chan has been moving between North American hospitals and remote, under-equipped clinics in Malawi since she joined Dignitas International in 2007.
Adrienne, an Assistant Professor of Medicine who now balances life between her academic practice at the University of Toronto and her work with Dignitas, refuses to accept the double standards that she sees in global health. When she treats a Malawian child struggling for life or hears about a death that could have been prevented, Adrienne channels her anger into programs and research to influence government and international health decision makers that will improve the lives of millions.
“One of the beautiful things about working on the ground is that you can see a patient one day and three days later you’ll be at a national ministry of health meeting talking about the same patient and explaining how the system could be improved,” says Adrienne. “They listen to us.”
By sharing our in-depth knowledge of health care challenges in Malawi, we inform national and international policymakers of the reality that patients face in resource-limited countries burdened with preventable and treatable infectious diseases and crisis-level health worker shortages.
The research that Adrienne and her colleagues generate informs funding agencies on how investments can be better made. She shares the findings of our research studies about the effectiveness of existing and innovative strategies and treatments. She imparts the lessons we’ve learned over the years about how to overcome health system barriers and increase access to health care. She lobbies for policies that protect and prioritize the most vulnerable.
The global health revolution is about bringing the voices of patients and health workers in developing countries to those who set policies, approve practices, and decide where funding should go. It’s about getting rid of unacceptable double standards and demanding accountability.
