Berlin – Nairobi Global HEART

Global health as a research and education discipline is still very young. It examines the connections and interactions between local and global social determinants of health worldwide. The relevance and scope of the topic is constantly increasing, not least due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, so that the Berlin - Nairobi Global HEART would also like to contribute to strengthening the disciplines.

To date, despite the international reach of global health research and teaching, much of the activity takes place at universities and institutions in the Global North, and many research papers on the topic are published by researchers from high-income countries. The so-called brain drain as well as structural imbalances in access to funding hinder the possibility of developing non-Northern solutions for global health. With the Global HEART Program, we encourage scientists, scholars and students to exchange ideas in order to improve research as well as teaching in their home countries and to stimulate an expansion of the expertise of all. The program is based on the principle of equal cooperation and exchange between the different partner institutions in Berlin and Nairobi.

Global HEART consists of several components and sub-projects. In addition to continuing the research exchange for medical students, an exchange program for Master's students in the field of public health is also offered from 2022 to 2024. Furthermore, a teaching module for medical students on global health research was jointly developed and taught at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the University of Nairobi for the first time in 2022 and continues until 2024. In 2022, the elective module won the award for innovative teaching in the field of internationalization of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

In addition to the offers for students, further training and networking opportunities are provided for lecturers and researchers from both partner universities. An alumni program for all participants of the program is intended to strengthen the exchange in the field of global public health in the long term.

With its objectives, the Global HEART Program contributes effectively and sustainably to the UN's sustainability strategy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, the achievement of the third SDG "Health and well-being" is supported by the cooperation of various researchers, male and female doctors and the exchange of their expertise within the framework of the program. The fourth and fifth SDGs "Quality education worldwide" and "Gender equality" are targeted through the cooperation of universities and institutes. The 17th SDG "Global Partnership" is at the heart of the entire program. Global HEART aims to establish and promote long-term, equal and sustainable international cooperation.

Exchange skills and transcultural education are emphasised as core competencies for researchers and students in a global context and interdisciplinarity is promoted in the complex field of global health research. The Global HEART Program can serve as a pilot project for further cross-university institutionalised research collaborations and stimulate and support South-South collaborations in the longer term.