Inauguration of New UB-ISGlobal Master of Global Health

The new UB-ISGlobal Master of Global Health was officially launched last Thursday, 4 October. The course is one of the first postgraduate programmes in Spain to offer training in health from a global, multidisciplinary perspective. It is the worthy successor of the Master in Topical Medicine and International Health, a much acclaimed course run by the University of Barcelona (UB) for many years. The inaugural talk took the form of an exchange of ideas and opinions between Javier Solana, President of ESADE's Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics, and Pedro Alonso, Director of ISGlobal and CRESIB, and professor at the UB. The speakers reviewed the achievements made in the field of health over the past century and analyzed the current challenges posed by globalisation. Rafael Vilasanjuan, Director of ISGlobal's Think Tank, chaired the session, which was closed by Professor Francesc Cardellach, Decan of the UB Faculty of Medicine, which is where the course is being held.

"We live in a globalised world in which the challenges facing global health need to be tackled from multiple angles. Disciplines such as the social sciences, economics and politics will play a key role in health in the 21^st century." This was just one of the reasons given by Javier Solana for the need for programmes such as the new Master of Global Health, which in addition to training in the health sciences will offer courses in areas such as international relations, health systems and health policies.

The opening ceremony was attended by approximately 100 guests, including the students enrolled on the new programme. The students, who come from Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal and Spain, started classes on October 1 and will complete their studies in June 2013.