“Global health is a shared responsibility that can only be effectively addressed when we join forces and work together“ - Karl Lauterbach, Federal Ministry of Health In October 15-17, 2023, DNA Global’s Health Equity Research Intern and a NYU graduate student, Chloe Ambrose had the opportunity to attend the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany. It is exciting to have our staff and interns attend various conferences and events. Hence, in the spirit of learning what is happening globally, what strategies and solutions are being employed and emphasized, Chloe shares more about her experience. Over 12,000 participants online and 3,000 on-site across 106 nations attended the remarkable event. It provided an incredible opportunity to share ideas, network, collaborate and learn from each other. Founded in 2009, the World Health Summit has been held annually, traditionally under the patronage of the German Chancellor, the French President, and the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). See the highlights of the World Health Summit, 2023 here. Key Takeaways from the World Health Summit, 2023 Some common themes for this climate change, air pollution/environment, digital technologies for health care, global conflict, youth engagement and systems change. Below are some takeaways that we all can learn from: 1. Witnessing the Power of Collaboration: From discussions on climate change and health to sessions exploring the transformative potential of digital technologies, the summit emphasized the need for cross-sector partnerships and collective action. 2. Harnessing the Power of Digital Technologies for Global Health session showcased innovative solutions leveraging technology to improve healthcare access, reach more people, offer better care, manage resources more efficiently, and can be used in low-resource countries and places, particularly for underprivileged communities. This transformation involves using digital tools like electronic health records, telemedicine platforms, mobile health apps, and data analytics. This resonates strongly with DNA, as we are on a mission to leverage technology as a powerful tool to address healthcare disparities, and improve maternal and child health outcomes, especially in low-resource settings. 3. Power of young people -Several presentors noted the power and potential of young people to save the world, which DNA also wholeheartedly believes in and has endorsed for 25 years. We, as was noted at the WHS, highly value and provide opportunities for young people to intern with us for years, and co-create solutions, projects and innovations. 4. Gender equity: A few leaders talked about the challenge of delivering the future to women where countries have competing priorities, yet encouraging greater investments in women’s health, and staying optimistic in the face of adversities, inequities and injustices. Going beyond knowledge into action
Something that resonates strongly with DNA’s mission is to translate all this knowledge and evidence-base into action, i.e., systems, organizational, policy or practices changes. What works to create the most efficient effective systems? Following are Chloe’s insights about translating insights into action:
What an incredible platform for an annual reflection of great minds and leaders around the world! It was an immense pleasure for Chloe and DNA to be represented, validate and re-affirm our mission and methods. For years now, we have been pushing for more innovative, collaborative, and culturally-responsive strategies and solutions that leverage strengths, public-private partnerships, technology and data. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with like-minded mission-driven partners towards greatest collective impact. If you share our goals to eliminate health equity using technology, what works and building capacity and integrated systems, we would love to hear from you! Next WHS is October 13-15, 2024 in Berlin. Let's join forces and turn World health Summit insights into collective tangible action for a healthier more equitable world. Contact bpeeper22@gmail.com, DNA's Business Development Manager to connect with us, or checkout our website (www.datainaction.org) for more information! It is a critical time for strategic collective action and investments to support, scale up, and sustain equitable social, economic and institutional change for girls and women. Feminism must be globalized." Womens' Rights, an area of research, advocacy and action, deserves much greater investment and effort. investing in women’s empowerment is one of the most effective ways to achieve all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Some believe it is the single most effective way. See blog written by Dr. Jain and Radhika Shah highlighting opportune time for philanthropy and investors to innovation, collaboration across public-private sectors, and scaling collective impact for women. The SDGs are global goals for collective action. The urgency to eliminate some of the worst conditions of human-kind and yet access and avail of some of the most advanced technology, innovations and global momentum has never been more pressing. How do we ensure the greatest possible impact and most effectively address all SDGs, given the current global context, and wisdom amassed to date? Women’s health and human rights remains one of the most urgent issues of our time where innovative effective models of change deserve to be supported and expanded to amass enormous collective impact – the need is paramount, and resources and services dangerously scarce. Half the world’s population is women, estimated at 3 billion, 70% residing in developing countries, living in conditions of utmost destitute, deprivation and disempowerment from pre-birth through life... see the original blog for details. .... Supporting What Works Funding scalable evidence-based innovations, policies’ enforcement, collaborative knowledge, and data sharing across diverse systems within countries are essential to achieving women’s rights. Capitalizing on multidisciplinary multi-pronged strategies, social entrepreneurship, is a powerful approach with mounting evidence of effectiveness that deserves greater support. It is a critical time for strategic collective action and investments to support, scale up, and sustain equitable social, economic and institutional change for girls and women. Feminism must be globalized. By Dr. Sonia Jain and Arras Amirah Protective factors are more powerful predictors of positive outcomes, than deficit-based public health models or punitive justice system approach...More Violence Prevention programs need to examine and build protective factors within homes, schools, and communities that support high-risk youths in disadvanted neighborhoods." Are you a nonprofit working on preventing violence and supporting youth exposed to violence? Are you measuring resilience and building protective factors? It is an innovative approach that works. See our research. Need for Resilience Perspective to Combat Violence October set forth a myriad of unprecedented violent events in the world and served as a poignant reminder of Violence Prevention Awareness, urging us to confront a pressing issue that disproportionately and unfairly affects millions of innocent, high-risk children and youth in the US and globally! DNA Global, with violence prevention, resilience and youth development research and evaluation expertise, is on a mission to collectively prevent violence globally by increasing awareness of, examining and addressing root causes or social determinants of violence, and building resilience and protective factors which are more powerful predictors of positive outcomes, than deficit-based public health models or punitive justice system practices. The Urgent Call for Action We are witnessing an alarming rise in all forms of violence, particularly among children. An overwhelming majority of high-risk youth have been victims of or witnessed violence. This includes physical violence, gun violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, child abuse, and neglect with detrimental short and long-term effects on social, behavioral and academic outcomes. Lower-income individuals and youth of color continue to be disproportionately exposed to violence, usually facing myriads of compounding risks. How do we support and empower these youth to tip the balance in favor of resilience? Focus on Unpacking Inequities and upstream factors: It is a complex issue, requiring implementation of multi-pronged human-centered strategies. Communities face myriad challenges in addressing this issue, from resource scarcity, magnitude of the problem, limited collective action, to ineffective implementation of evidence-based practices and policies. Though we are moving in the right direction, there is an urgency to increase collaboration between researchers and practitioners examining inequities at the system, practice and policy levels, like unequal access to quality housing, jobs, healthcare, mental health services or opportunities amongst others. Measure What Works: Resilience Our research unveils potential solutions rooted in building resilience. Integrating developmental assets at the family, peer, and neighborhood levels nurtures resilience, enabling individuals to thrive amidst adversity. There is compelling evidence that many youth exposed to community violence manage to adapt successfully over time. Developmental assets have been deemed salient for positive youth development, though limited longitudinal studies have examined their relevance for high-risk youth. Using the Developmental Assets framework and merging existing datasets, we tested whether supportive relationships, high expectations, and opportunities build emotional resilience, modifying risk effects over time. We modeled trajectories to examine whether protective factors at wave 1 predicted emotional resilience at waves 2 and 3, using the PHDCN dataset (see paper). Over seven years, 60-85% of high-risk youth ETV classified as emotionally resilient. And above other factors, the presence of positive peers and supportive relationships with parents or other adults showed significant effects. Positive peers and family support were particularly protective for witnesses and victims of violence. This aligns with growing resilience research. Structured activities (such as sports, drama, arts) and collective efficacy influenced change in resilience differentially among those ETV. More research, evaluation and interventions are needed that examine protective factors in the system, community, family and school levels. Additionally, in program evaluations, advanced statistical data analysis that controls for complex factors in youth's environments, and provides robust estimates is invaluable to identify specific strategies and designing more effective programs. Given the magnitude of the problem and scarce resources, we need to hone in on and scale what works specifically, using advanced research and quantitative methodologies - in addition to stories and narrative. Providing advanced research and analytical skills has been a plus point of many of our evaluations. Finally, post-Covid, there is greater need for building mental wellness, emotional resilience and connection. Harvard Business Review recently noted in “Secrets to Building Resilience” that “Covid has created a significant transition for us all. The importance of building and maintaining your connections has never been clearer.” In sum, we strongly believe in the power of resilience, and measure what works. We need to measure what matters most, given the complex nature of the problem. More Violence Prevention programs need to examine and evaluate protective factors within homes, schools, and communities that support high-risk youths in disadvantaged neighborhoods and settings. While becoming aware of the data and stories of resilience amidst violence around the world is a crucial first step, it is only the beginning. Tell us what you think: How can we use growing evidence on resilience to design and implement strengths-based strategies and programs? Share your insights If you are interested in consulting services with DNA, contact Becky Peeper, Business Development Manager (info@datainaction.org). Thank you. |
AuthorChloe Ambrose, MPHc, Arras Amirah, and Sonia Jain, DrPH |