Category: INTERVIEWS

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Guest Editorial: WHO under DG Tedros – The Last Five Years

Priti Patnaik

At this point, global health policy-making needs predictability. When the WHO Executive Board nominated DG Tedros for a second term, last week, it should have assuaged anxious politicians, the scientific establishment, and the world’s people. The continuity of leadership at WHO, is helpful, given that WHO remains at the eye of the storm. Sources told us that of the 34 members of the EB, 31 members endorsed the nomination of Tedros (the rest were reportedly absent). Recall that Tedros was voted into office with a historic and an overwhelming majority in 2017. His mandate was absolute and powerful. Some would … Continue reading Guest Editorial: WHO under DG Tedros – The Last Five Years

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“The idea of pathogen sharing is based on power dynamics”: Q&A with Senjuti Saha

Priti Patnaik

THE GENEVA HEALTH FILES INTERVIEW By Divya Venkatesh “The idea of pathogen sharing is based on power dynamics” During an outbreak, accessing pathogen samples and sequencing data easily are critical for designing effective public health responses and developing medical products. The norms that govern the sharing of pathogens in “peace” times, will have consequences on how samples and information are shared and compensated for, during outbreaks. Despite the growing chorus for sharing pathogens, this fundamental requirement that has not been discussed enough. We spoke with Senjuti Saha, a well-known Bangladeshi scientist who works at the intersection of Clinical Microbiology and Public … Continue reading “The idea of pathogen sharing is based on power dynamics”: Q&A with Senjuti Saha

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Q&A: Dr Thomas Hale, University of Oxford

Priti Patnaik

Dr Thomas Hale, Associate Professor in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, at the University of Oxford, has been working on analyzing policy responses of governments to the current pandemic. Along with his colleagues, he is a part of the team behind the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker. The OxCGRT, as it is called, tracks and compares policy responses around the world. The tracker “provides a systematic cross-national, cross-temporal measure to understand how government responses have evolved over the full period of the disease’s spread. (Read the recent paper on theVariation in government responses to COVID-19.) Dr Hale’s research … Continue reading Q&A: Dr Thomas Hale, University of Oxford