Changing the World One Perspective at a Time

Hubert-Yeargan Center Offers Global Learning Experiences To Highlight Health Inequalities
by Antoinette R. Parker

William Foege, M.D., a scientific advisor to the Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, listens attentively during a conversation at a one-year anniversary gala for the center.

Although in April The Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health marked its one-year anniversary with a gala held at the Washington-Duke Inn, its history spans much further than just a year's time.

To address healthcare needs on a global scale, in the 1980s Duke began sending doctors to developing countries. Initially, partnerships developed between Duke and institutions in Tanzania and Brazil, providing the foundation for future collaborations in other parts of the world. But not until the Hubert-Yeargan Center's opening in November 2004 was there a dedicated portal for Duke Medicine that led to experiential learning opportunities in developing countries. And it has made a world of difference.

In this technological age, bits and bytes unite people across borders, facilitating global connections. While technology has allowed for groundbreaking improvements in medical care delivery, it has also provided a window into both affluent and developing countries, making apparent the disparities between those with access to quality healthcare and those without.

A Global Perspective

While supporting the tri-fold goals of the Hubert-Yeargan Center -- which focuses on research, service and education -- medical students and new professionals are truly learning what it means to have a global perspective of healthcare, says Ralph Corey, M.D. Along with co-director Christopher Woods, M.D., and program director Cynthia Binanay, Corey leads the center, which is run by programmatic staff and has faculty support from multiple medical school divisions. Named for two families whose generous support led to its establishment, the center has its roots in the Duke Division of Infectious Diseases. A professor in the division, Corey's first experience in a developing country took place in Kenya in 1985. It totally changed his life, he says, and inspired in him a commitment to help future doctors gain an international perspective of healthcare, especially when it comes to healthcare disparities.

"I don't think we can train young people to be good citizens of the world without helping them to understand the importance of being involved with world issues," says Corey, who was recently named the Gary Hock Professor of Global Health at Duke University. The professorship was made possible as the result of a gift of $1,500,000 from Durham developer Gary Hock in July 2005. The gift established an endowment for the support of research and education in the field of infectious diseases.

Creating Partnerships

Throughout Duke's campus, students are increasingly encouraged to see beyond the confines of continents, to experience learning from a global perspective. Global learning and global health are at the top of the agendas of Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead and Chancellor for Health Affairs Victor J. Dzau, M.D., says Corey. He notes the new certificate program in global health that is being developed for undergraduate students by Kate Whetten, Ph.D., director of the Duke Center of Health Policy and Health Inequalities Program at the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy. The law school and business school also have initiatives that focus on global education.

"There are opportunities for partnerships throughout the Duke campus," adds Corey, noting that the center is investigating ways to partner with the School of Engineering, School of Nursing and the School of the Environment. There are also plans to collaborate with the global health centers at Emory University, Indiana University and University of Virginia, as well as other institutions.

Corey's hope is that the center's programs will change the lives of future medical professionals, just as his experiences overseas have impacted his life's work.

"It's important that we educate ourselves about global health inequalities, and provide opportunities for our students to do the same," he says. "It's an essential part of our roles as educators because it's a fundamental component of training for the next generation of healthcare providers."