The Lancet, Volume 373, Issue 9679, Pages 1993 - 1995, 6 June 2009

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doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60332-9Cite or Link Using DOI

Towards a common definition of global health

Original Text

Prof Jeffrey P Koplan MD a , T Christopher Bond PhD b, Prof Michael H Merson MD c, Prof K Srinath Reddy MD d, Prof Mario Henry Rodriguez MD e, Prof Nelson K Sewankambo FRCP f, Prof Judith N Wasserheit MD g, for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health Executive Board‡

Global health is fashionable. It provokes a great deal of media, student, and faculty interest, has driven the establishment or restructuring of several academic programmes, is supported by governments as a crucial component of foreign policy,1 and has become a major philanthropic target. Global health is derived from public health and international health, which, in turn, evolved from hygiene and tropical medicine. However, although frequently referenced, global health is rarely defined. When it is, the definition varies greatly and is often little more than a rephrasing of a common definition of public health or a politically correct updating of international health. Therefore, how should global health be defined?/.../