"If they're not there, it ain't fair."
Within the influential world of high-level global health conferences lives a sad and recalcitrant injustice. Though international in design and scope, high-profile meetings too often fail to include professional healthcare colleagues who actually live and work in the low-income countries (LIC) that are the raison d'etre of these gatherings. So if LIC colleagues can't be there, is it really global? Whose voice truly matters?
With their ground-breaking work in the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change at Harvard Medical School, Michelle and her team are leading the way towards actualizing equity as the prime tool with which to ensure and normalize the global health conference participation of LIC colleagues.
Michelle Joseph, MD, PhD is an academic trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, Instructor at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine on the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change. She graduated from University College London and trained on the Warwick Orthopedic Programme. In 2018, she was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and appointed as a National Institute Health Research Clinical Lecturer at the University of Warwick. Michelle has research interests in trauma systems strengthening in low-middle income countries and the development of health equity frameworks. She is the Principle Investigator on the PROTHA Study (PROject Trauma HAiti), IMPACT Study (Integrated Military Partnerships and Civilian Trauma Systems), CER Study (Conference Equity Research) and Racial Health Equity Framework Study.
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The Conference Equity Team's website - follow, or better yet, participate in, the conference equity team's progress
The Equity Team's Twitter feeds & faves - @MichelleJoMD @Anudarizorigt @VelinLotta @jwlartigue @ulricksidney @FutureAfroNS @DrBarnabasAlay @desmondtanko @pgssc @ughe_org @SisterSurgeons
The team's first publication - Conference Equity in Global Health: a Systematic Review of Factors Impacting LMIC Representation at Global Health Conferences
Michelle Joseph - Harvard Catalyst Profile
Program in Global Surgery and Social Change - Harvard Medical School - Faculty and Fellows