ISGlobal's Spring School Brings Together Nearly a Thousand Participants in its Second Edition

The second edition of the International Spring School in Global Health, held from 27 to 31 March, attracted a thousand participants, double the number of the first edition. Organised through the Severo Ochoa Programme at ISGlobal, an institution supported by "la Caixa" Foundation, this edition addressed key issues in the field of global health such as implementation science, endemic and pandemic infectious diseases, the health impact of climate change, global occupational epidemiology, the analysis of time series data collected with digital technologies, and knowledge translation. 

The International Spring School in Global Health contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 (health and well-being) and 4 (inclusive, equitable and quality education) through the transfer of knowledge by our faculty of research professionals and their collaborators. In this way, access to training and learning is promoted through an educational programme aimed at postgraduate and masters students, doctoral students and researchers, as well as other professionals interested in global health. Sessions are synchronous, participatory and interactive, using examples and success stories relevant to different parts of the world. 

In this second edition of the Spring School, two modules were taught in Spanish and with a timetable more accessible to people from Latin America, with the aim of opening up the training to more people from this geographical area, which is one of the priority regions for Spanish development cooperation. Participants were able to access the modules free of charge thanks to the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Spanish National Research Agency.

Participants from 98 countries 

Of the 1,000 participants registered this year, 91% were international students (from 98 countries), 81% came from low and middle income countries and 21% had participated in previous editions of the Spring School or Summer School. Half of the participants came from 26 of the 37 countries considered as priority by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), which has supported the project through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

In addition to the 6 modules, the participants were invited to the opening event - a roundtable on contrasting visions of the transformation of global health governance, moderated by Leire Pajin and Rafael Vilasanjuan- and to two keynote lectures by Cathryn Tonne and Jeffrey Lazarus.

A collaborative and inclusive platform 

"The second edition of the Spring School has once again demonstrated ISGlobal's commitment to inclusive and equitable global health education and learning. The participation of students from all over the world has provided a valuable platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences to address the challenges in the field," points out Núria Casamitjana, Training and Education Director. 

"It has been very satisfying to see how, throughout the course, participants have been able to establish new interactions that could be the starting point for new collaborations and professional networks," says Giulia Pollarolo, coordinator of the Spring School.