Insights on International Collaborative Health
By Dr. Oscar Cingolani We all know high blood pressure is a global threat, often called “the silent killer.” In fact, hypertension is responsible for one in eight deaths worldwide, and it is the major culprit behind stroke, heart and kidney disease. In a new effort to curb this deadly impact, the American Heart Association(...)
Each year at Johns Hopkins Medicine International’s Partners Forum, leaders from our global affiliates discuss ways to improve health and health care for the collective good. This year’s theme, “The Evolution of Health Care: Predictions and Practices in a Changing Environment,” helped us better understand the context and landscape of health care today. We wrestled(...)
We were thrilled to host the recent Johns Hopkins Medicine International Partners Forum, an annual meeting that brings together leaders, care providers and researchers from our nearly 20 affiliates in 15 countries. Looking at the past 20 years of my involvement with Johns Hopkins Medicine International when these relationships developed, this is an event I(...)
As a Johns Hopkins faculty member, I have the privilege of teaching medical students and residents in the classroom and on the wards. I love participating in the learning process—helping students grapple with information, evaluate its potential for impact, and finally put it into play in their own careers and lives. Through my role as(...)
Health care professionals have always been attracted to developed countries in search of better career and educational opportunities, political stability, and greater personal freedom, among myriad other factors. However, we’ve seen this trend go up significantly in recent years. The perceived need to relocate starts early for young people who dream of becoming nurses, physicians,(...)
Blood clots cause the world’s top three cardiovascular killers, and they are the leading cause of preventable death during a hospital stay. Altogether, blood clots kill more people each year than AIDS, breast cancer and car crashes combined. Continuing our discussion on accreditation and uniform health standards in our globalized world, regulatory agencies around the(...)
Like me, you probably check reviews before trying a new restaurant or hotel. If we research these small decisions, it’s only logical that when it comes to big decisions like choosing a health care provider, we look for both qualitative and quantitative data to guide our choices. Accreditation is one set of standards we use(...)
The devastating wake of hurricanes across the United States and Caribbean. Two destructive earthquakes striking central Mexico within a two-week span. Deadly outbreaks of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome across Saudi Arabia, UAE and other countries in the region. Multiple terrorist attacks in Spain. These are real examples of recent emergencies affecting all corners of the(...)
We agree on the benefits of health care globalization: more uniform standards of patient safety, growth of telemedicine, greater access to lifesaving treatments, immediate information about care and wellness. But are we overlooking a possible drawback: the homogenization of health care? You may like knowing you can get the same Starbucks coffee whether you’re in(...)
We recently started a discussion about how institutions such as Johns Hopkins are creating international collaborative health programs to help steer us out of a global health care crisis affecting individuals, health systems and communities worldwide. We can approach collaborations to raise health standards globally in many ways. And a number of organizations—including internationally known(...)