Past Events
Insights to Action: Ideation on Implementation for Equity | October 26, 2023
Too often, promising health interventions do not reach the world’s most vulnerable or are not effectively adapted to community needs and constraints. This often results in critical needs remaining unmet and growing health inequity, despite significant investment seeking to address these issues. On Thursday, October 26, 2023, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance’s Insights to Action: Ideation on Implementation for Equity event explored practical solutions to close the gap between what we know and what we do, using the lens of implementation science to advance health equity. Learn more.
Innovations in Digitizing Health Supply Chains in Africa | Salient Advisory | August 8, 2023
On August 8, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance hosted Salient Advisory for a presentation on the findings from their latest market intelligence report that provided insights on funding trends, uptake of digital supply chain solutions by governments, the diverse range of identified supply chain solutions, and more. The report is the first pan-African landscape of health supply chain innovators on the continent and tracks nearly 350 technology-enabled innovators digitizing supply chain processes in Africa. Learn more.
An Alliance Conversation with Baraka Impact Finance: The Role for Private Sector Capital in The Funding of Global Health Solutions | July 20, 2023
On July 20 at UCSF, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance hosted Baraka Impact Finance for a conversation on innovative financing for global health in emerging markets. The discussion highlighted the potential of private capital to drive impactful health solutions, the growing interest in impact-focused investments, and the need for greater collaboration between investors, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits to address the challenges faced in global health financing. Learn more.
Communications Directors Meeting #2 | Upswell - Using Social Media for Research | June 21, 2023
The Bay Area Global Health Alliance’s Communications Community of Practice held its second meeting on June 21. Sarah Francis and Drew Bernard, Alliance members and founding partners of Upswell, led a session on the key types of research for social media and using social media as a tool for survey recruitment. Attendees gained insights on how to understand their audience, measure the impact of ads on the perception of their brand, and use in-app polls. They also came away with knowledge of ad targeting options and strategies to create engaging content to help recruit participants for surveys led by their organizations. Learn more.
Bay Area Global Health Alliance 2023 Annual Meeting | June 6, 2023
"The ambitious agenda [of Africa CDC's Digital Transformation Strategy] over such a huge continent cannot be achieved unless every available resource is harnessed. And that can only be done through cross-collaboration partnerships," said Africa CDC's Chief Digital Health Adviser, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, at the Bay Area Global Health Alliance annual meeting on June 6. Attending were more than 125 members and guests, both online and in person at UCSF. Alliance board secretary Martin Dale, PSI, spoke with Nsengimana in a fireside chat that explored the rollout of Africa’s new digital partnership and how digital innovations and partnerships can advance health equity on the continent. Learn more.
Maternal Health: Optimizing Safe Delivery Roundtable Discussion | April 19, 2023
More than 4.5 million women and babies die annually during or immediately after childbirth, according to a recent United Nations report. Most of these deaths are preventable with access to quality care. The Bay Area Global Health Alliance, together with Merck for Mothers, convened a small group of members in April 2023 to discuss the challenges and opportunities of ensuring safe delivery in both urban and rural impoverished communities. The cross-sectoral Alliance members that were engaged in discussing possible options to reduce those abysmal statistics included CCBRT in Tanzania and Chidamoyo Hospital in Zimbabwe, and representatives from Antara International, Maya Health Alliance, Simprints, UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, and the World Telehealth Initiative. Learn more.
Presentation by Friends of Chidamoyo to the Stanford Global Health Club | April 11, 2023
The Alliance welcomed Dr. Major Mereki, director of Alliance member Chidamoyo Hospital in northwest Zimbabwe, with a series of meetings, including a presentation through Stanford’s Center for Innovation in Global Health to Stanford’s Global Health Club of postdoc students and Stanford faculty. The conversation included insights into how a hospital in an extremely remote area manages to serve an impoverished community of 70,000 through power outages, currency risk, limited staff, and limited resources. Learn more.
Informal Gathering of Partners to Discuss Rural Healthcare Delivery | April 6, 2023
The Alliance hosted an informal gathering of members including: Fistula Foundation, Kapnek Trust Zimbabwe, Friends of Chidamoyo, UC Berkeley, UCSF Bixby Center for Reproductive Health, Stanford, MedShare, Viamo, and CCBRT Tanzania to share experiences in rural healthcare delivery. Digital innovations such as the Butterfly Ultrasound device, which attaches to a cell phone and provides access to specialists for image analysis, were discussed as critical for low-resources settings. Learn more
WHO Tech Task Force and Bay Area Global Health Alliance Joint Meeting
| February 15, 2023
On February 15, the Alliance hosted a meeting marking the third anniversary of the formation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tech Task Force. Representatives from Google, Meta, TikTok, Amazon and other tech companies joined Alliance members for networking and short presentations by Andy Pattison, Team Lead Digital Channels, WHO and his esteemed WHO colleagues, Drs. Ruediger Krech, Director, Health Promotion and Vinayak Prasad, Program Manager. The presenters provided informative updates on the WHO’s work on health promotion, tobacco cessation, humanitarian emergencies, digital communications, and the collaborative work of the WHO Tech Task Force. Learn more.
African Health-Tech and Supply Chains: How Innovations Can Accelerate Health Access and Equity | February 8, 2023
The Alliance and Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria brought together African health supply-chain innovators and global health stakeholders from multiple sectors to discuss how health supply chains are working to deliver equitable access to health in Africa. The dialogue was attended by 80 Alliance members and participants, including The Global Fund, Salient Advisory, Nivi, mPharma, Xetova, Chevron, JSI, Gilead, Stanford, BMGF, Vestergaard, Pathfinder, Americares, and Merck. The goal was to elevate the lessons learned from multi-stakeholder partnerships, especially from local innovators in Africa. Learn more.
PSI Plenary at the Global Digital Health Forum | December 6, 2022
Alliance member Population Services International (PSI) hosted a Global Digital Health Forum session on strengthening the role of social media in advancing global health. The session featured Christine Odour - PSI, Andy Pattison - World Health Organization, Erin Nilon - Johnson & Johnson, and Gladys Mugambi - Ministry of Health in Kenya. Hema Budaraju, Senior Director of Product - Health and Social Impact, Google Search and Board Co-Vice Chair of the Bay Area Global Health Alliance moderated the discussion. Learn more.
Preventing the Next Pandemic: A Roundtable Discussion | November 15, 2022
On November 15, UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences and the Bay Area Global Health Alliance co-hosted a virtual roundtable discussion on how to prevent the next pandemic. The online conversation featured award-winning science writer and author Laurie Garrett with: Jonna Mazet - Vice Provost, Grand Challenges, UC Davis; Chancellor’s Leadership Professor of Epidemiology and Disease Ecology, Larry Brilliant - physician and epidemiologist, CEO of Pandefense Advisory, senior counselor at the Skoll Foundation and a CNN Medical Analyst, Thu Do - Director, Medical Affairs, Global Patient Solutions, Gilead Sciences, and Paul Wesson - Assistant Professor, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Medicine, UCSF (serving as moderator). Learn more.
Policy Briefing: Update From DC | October 13, 2022
On October 13, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance and the Center for Global Health Innovation brought together premier global health advocacy organizations Global Health Council, Global Health Technologies Coalition, and Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria to update members on the US government's global health budget, the impact of the pandemic on policy, new initiatives to spur innovation, and how to elevate equity in the global health agenda. Learn more.
YTH Live Global 2022: Despair and Hope | The Global Mental Health Crisis | October 12, 2022
At YTH Live Global, an annual event hosted by ETR, the Alliance organized a panel discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities of addressing the global youth mental health crisis. Experts from Google, Hopelab, and UCSF discussed fostering community on tech platforms and collaborating to create effective digital interventions for youth mental health. Learn more.
Building Community Resilience Against the Health Effects of Wildfires and Air Pollution | September 8, 2022
Bay Area Global Health Alliance members Americares, Stanford University, Public Health Institute, UCSF, and Google had a virtual conversation exploring the impact of wildfires and air pollution on the health of communities in the United States. The discussion co-hosted by the Alliance and Americares highlighted the most important concerns in this space and each panelist shared how their organization is working to build resilience, support preparedness/disaster management efforts, and address the health inequities resulting from climate change. At this virtual event, attendees had the opportunity to learn from leading experts in climate health, contribute ideas, and leave with action items to further climate resilience in their communities. Learn more.
Monkeypox Update | Bay Area and Beyond | August 25, 2022
With monkeypox now an international, national and state public health emergency, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance and UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences hosted an online update on the crisis. Experts from Bay Area Global Health Alliance member organizations UCSF, Stanford University, PRC, San Francisco Community Health Center, and Chevron, along with Santa Clara County Health Officer and Public Health Director Sara Cody, shared their perspectives. Learn more.
Innovations in Digitizing Distribution of Health Products: Current Trends in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya & Uganda | July 20, 2022
The Bay Area Global Health Alliance, Salient Advisory, and Alliance member Population Services International examined the findings of Salient's recently released market intelligence report on commercially-driven innovations in health care supply chains in Africa. The report results from a longitudinal study of more than 80 digital health innovators in African health technology ecosystems. Findings from innovating early-stage start-ups to established companies like mPharma inform the report, which highlights key trends shaping the growth and impact of digitized distribution in health across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda. Learn more.
Bay Area Global Health Alliance 2022 Annual Meeting | May 16, 2022
Global health professionals from academia, NGOs, tech, biotech and other private sector partners gathered for the Alliance's Annual Meeting on Monday, May 16, at UCSF. Amy Lin, acting director of USAID’s Center for Innovation and Impact, discussed the future of the global health sector in a fireside chat moderated by PHI president and BAGHA board chair Mary Pittman. Their conversation was followed by a series of flash talks on the state of global health financing and investments from representatives from the Hewlett Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation. The meeting concluded with highlights on the state of the Alliance and key partnerships. Learn more.
World Health Organization (WHO) Delegation Briefing on Digital Health | May 11, 2022
On May 11, Dr. Garrett Mehl, Head Digital Health Technology Unit, and Andy Pattison, Team Lead Digital Channels and head of the WHO Tech Task Force, were joined by Dr. John Grove, Director, Quality Assurance of Norms and Standards, for this briefing from the WHO, co-hosted by the Bay Area Global Health Alliance and UCSF’s Institute for Global Health Sciences. Learn more
Academic Integration Into Pandemic Preparedness And Response Plans Workshop | April 26-28, 2022
As we entered the third year of the pandemic, UC Davis Grand Challenges, Healthy Davis Together, and Bay Area Global Health Alliance reflected with pride on how our communities have jumped in to help mitigate the devastating consequences of COVID-19 locally, nationally, and globally. The pandemic response showed not only the power of universities to play vital roles in public health crises, but also the opportunity to do more. We know future health crises are on the horizon, and we seized the chance to overcome longstanding silos among government, academia, and the private sector through a working meeting that brought together diverse partners from these sectors. Learn more.
Empowering Community Voices to Promote Vaccine Confidence through Social Media | April 20, 2022
Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance and the Alliance for Advancing Health Online convened to explore the most effective methods community members can use to influence vaccine confidence through social media. Local voices and personal connections can be powerful influences in driving vaccine confidence in communities. This session shared three approaches to incorporating community voices into social media messaging and discussed best practices for leveraging and amplifying their impact. Learn more
CUGH 2022 Satellite Session: Harnessing Social Media and Digital Platforms to Improve Health Outcomes | March 25, 2022
The Bay Area Global Health Alliance and Sabin Vaccine Institute, partners of the Alliance for Advancing Health Online, held a multipart satellite session at CUGH 2022 to discuss harnessing social media and digital platforms to improve health outcomes. This satellite session included lightning talks from the researchers, as well as fireside chats with leading stakeholders in this space, such as the WHO Tech Task Force, The Rockefeller Foundation’s Mercury Project, Sabin Vaccine Institute, the World Bank, and others. Learn more.
Vaccine Chatbots: The Role of AI in Driving Demand | March 24, 2022
Chatbots are a powerful tool for change. How has artificial intelligence contributed to the global fight against COVID-19 vaccine misinformation? Alliance member Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance, the Alliance for Advancing Health Online, and subject matter experts convened to explore how chatbots have been used to drive vaccine acceptance and demand by providing equitable, tailored and accessible information. This Insights Dialogue event highlighted chatbots providing COVID-19 vaccine information in India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States. Learn more.
Social Media Listening for Improved Vaccine Acceptance | February 23, 2022
The Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance, and the Alliance for Advancing Health Online explored Social Media Listening for Improved Vaccine Acceptance on February 23rd. During this live virtual engagement, we heard from global health and communications experts who shared their experiences using social media listening to drive programming decisions for improved vaccine uptake, specifically focused on minority and vulnerable populations. Learn more.
Connecting Through Emotional Appeals | December 9, 2021
On December 9th, the Sabin Vaccine Institute and the Alliance, partners of Advancing Health Online, convened the second Insights Dialogue live engagement. Communications and global health experts shared their experience developing persuasive social media messaging to address vaccine hesitancy using peer-reviewed literature and extensive online testing for greater behavior change impact. The diverse panel (including a representative from UNICEF) shared their strategies, lessons learned through the testing results, and how to apply these results to improve campaigns. Learn more.
GDHF 2021: Insights on the Importance of Trust in Harnessing Social Media for Vaccine Confidence | December 8, 2021
The Bay Area Global Health Alliance and the Sabin Vaccine Institute collaborated, as partners of Advancing Health Online, on a GDHF session that focused on the importance of trust in building vaccine confidence. We highlighted examples of social media’s capacity to impact vaccine confidence and health behaviors -- and how trust is a critical component. The discussion was a fireside chat in style, discussing the importance of trust in improving health outcomes on social media, sharing insights and the importance of evidence-based solutions. It was followed by a robust audience Q&A. Learn more.
Content Strategy for Public Health Webinar | November 10, 2021
On November 10th, Alliance member Upswell led a webinar on content strategy for public health. This webinar gave public health organizations and advocates the tools to develop engaging, useful, and impactful social media content that people want to share. Attendees came away with knowledge about how to define their goals, understand their audience, measure success, and evolve. Learn more.
Insights Dialogue Launch Event | November 2, 2021
On November 2, 2021, Sabin Vaccine Institute's Boost Community, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance and the Alliance for Advancing Health Online launched the Insights Dialogue platform, a new site focused on sharing evidence and how-tos with vaccine program implementers, public health communicators, behavior change scientists and other stakeholders. During this live engagement, a panel of experts discussed case studies featured on the Insights Dialogue platform. Learn more.
WHO: Building best in class chatbots - Chatbot Optimization during COVID-19 | October 27, 2021
The World Health Organization held the second webinar of the series “Building best in class chatbots during COVID-19”. Alliance members PATH, Stanford, UNICEF and Sara Anderson, Bay Area Global Health Alliance’s Executive Director, took part in the event. This webinar focused on ways to optimize COVID-19 chatbots while enhancing the AI experience. It explored why it is important to continuously improve the functionality and content of chatbots in order to better respond to the fight against COVID-19. Learn more.
Policy Briefing with Global Health Council's President and CEO Elisha Dunn-Georgiou | October 19, 2021
Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, the new President and CEO of Global Health Council, joined us for a conversation and update on policy and funding issues on Capitol Hill, at UNGA and following President Biden’s recent COVID Summit, where she joined leaders in committing to end the COVID-19 pandemic. She gave her observations from DC and answered questions on the political state of global health, in this critical time. Learn more.
Book Event: Emily Bass’s “To End a Plague: America’s Fight to Defeat AIDS in Africa” | October 13, 2021
CSIS Global health Policy Center hosted an exciting virtual event featuring Emily Bass, veteran AIDS activist, historian and journalist, and author of To End a Plague: America’s Fight to Defeat AIDS in Africa. She was joined in conversation by Jennifer Kates, Senior Vice President and Director of Global Health & HIV Policy at KFF; Chris Collins, President & CEO at Friends of the Global Fight; and Ben Plumley, Senior Advisor at Bay Area Global Health Alliance & Host of A Shot In The Arm Podcast and Vax Up Podcast. Learn more.
YTH Global Live: The Power of Social Media to Strengthen Vaccine Confidence and Shape Health Behaviors | October 6, 2021
The Bay Area Global Health Alliance, Girl Effect and Facebook were at the YTH Global Live conference for a fireside chat exploring the power of social media to strengthen vaccine confidence and shape health behaviors. We viewed part of a Vax Up Podcast featuring Girl Effect India and their work to educate young women and girls about their health. Learn more.
Building COVID-19 Confidence Through Social Media Campaigns | September 16, 2021
Martin Dale of PSI, Lu’chen Foster of Facebook, Lateefah Mosley of UNICEF, and Jessica Kirkwood of CARE sat down with Ben Plumley of the Bay Area Global Health Alliance/A Shot in the Arm to discuss how their organizations utilize social media tools and strategic partnerships to disseminate health information that promotes COVID-19 vaccine confidence. Learn more.
Leveraging Technology to Scale Outcomes in Global Health | July 1, 2021
Bay Area Global Health Alliance and Resonance co-hosted a webinar featuring Alliance members Zenysis Technologies and Mastercard. This webinar is part of Resonance’s Inclusive Innovation Exchange. We had a discussion about the importance of digital infrastructure, the role of collaboration to strengthen these systems and empower digital innovation, and the future of global digital health. Learn more.
Private Sector Approaches to Tackling Global Health Challenges | June 24, 2021
Bay Area Global Health Alliance and our members Medicines360, Resonance, and Population Services International (PSI) had a fireside chat about private sector approaches that can help us take on today’s global health challenges. Our members shared how they have borrowed ideas and models from the private sector to develop, distribute, and market products to further global health. Learn more.
Policy Briefing: Are We at a Change Moment? | June 8, 2021
A virtual Policy Briefing with Chris Collins, President and CEO of Friends of the Global Fight and formerly with UNAIDS, amfAR, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi. This year has been described as a year of great transition, but what’s actually happening? What have we learned from COVID and what are the plans on the table to react to that -- in the US and elsewhere? Are we going to continue to under invest in global health or are we truly at a “change moment”? Learn more.
India's COVID LGBTQI Crisis | May 20, 2021
As the COVID crisis continues in India and South Asia, the Bay Area partners came together to get reports directly from people directly impacted in India, and to identify the best ways institutions and individuals can support existing, effective responses that are reaching LGBTQ communities, in line with India’s foreign contributions laws. You can join us, alongside SFCHC and other other community-based organizations by watching our recorded discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on India’s LGBTQI communities. Learn more.
The Role of Mental Health in Supporting Frontline Health Workers and Workforce During COVID | May 11, 2021
A virtual panel with Bay Area Global Health Alliance Members Americares, Chevron and Facebook. With representation across sectors, this discussion provided best practice strategies of how best to improve people’s health on the frontlines locally and globally. Learn more.
India COVID Emergency Briefing | May 5, 2021
On Wednesday, May 5, at 8am PST, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance convened with members and regional stakeholders for an emergency briefing on the COVID-19 crisis in India. The purpose was to get real time information from on the ground in India; and identify the most effective emergency responses currently being undertaken, that the Bay Area, through our Alliance members and the community more broadly, can support. Learn more.
Two Countries, One Border: COVID and the Future of Pandemic Prevention in Mexico and the United States | May 3, 2021
A panel discussion on the U.S. and Mexico response to the COVID-19 pandemic and implications for future preparedness in both countries. This event was hosted in partnership with UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences and moderated by Ben Plumley. Learn more.
Making Sense of Global Health Innovation Financing | April 22, 2021
A conversation between Krista Donaldson, CEO of Equalize Health, and Ben Plumley, host of A Shot in the Arm Podcast, on barriers and strategies for accessing financing for global health innovations. Hosted by the Bay Area Global Health Alliance in partnership with the Bay Area Global Health Innovation Challenge. Learn more.
The Value of Human-Centered Design in Global Health - Case Studies in Reproductive Health | March 16, 2021
In this panel discussion, IDEO.org and JSI shared their learnings from working at the intersection of human-centered design and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH), how they’ve worked together with the HCD Exchange, and how they’re continuing to evolve their work given new constraints. Learn more.
Maternity Matters: Leveraging digital solutions at scale to deliver quality health care within UHC | March 3, 2021
A virtual roundtable focused on identifying barriers to accelerating the implementation of digital innovations for maternal health in low- and middle-income countries, as well as potential solutions for better efficiency in collaboration. This ecosystem event held alongside Devex’s Prescription for Progress was co-hosted by the Bay Area Global Health Alliance and Merck for Mothers. Learn more.
Advancing Global Health Initiatives with Technology | February 24, 2021
A panel discussion on global health and technology featuring Bay Area Global Health Alliance members. This panel served as part of the UC Berkeley Haas Healthcare Association two-day conference, “Finding New Breath: Emerging Stronger Through Health Crises.” Learn more.
Fireside Chat with Paulin Basinga, Gates Foundation Director for Health in Africa | January 27, 2021
At the Bay Area Global Health Alliance's Annual Meeting, held on January 27, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Paulin Basinga, Director, Health, Africa, served as the keynote speaker. He spoke in a fireside chat on “Solidarity in Vaccine Access” with Alliance board member Stefano Bertozzi, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Health Policy & Management, UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Read more about the Annual Meeting.
Harnessing Tech and Social Media to Educate and Save Lives | December 9, 2020
A panel hosted by the Bay Area Global Health Alliance at the Global Digital Health Forum in which experts discuss the efforts of tech, social media and digital and public health to educate, inform and keep people safe. Alliance board members Praveen Raja (Facebook) and Hema Budaraju (Google) joined Andy Pattison (WHO), Heidi Larson (Vaccine Confidence Project) and Rachel Sibande (Digital Impact Alliance, UN Foundation) on the panel moderated by Ben Plumley (A Shot in the Arm podcast). Learn more.