The Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FK USU), in collaboration with the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI), hosted the GLocal Summer Course 2025 themed “Bridging Global Health Gaps: Stronger Systems, Healthier Lives, Sustainable Future.” The program brought together medical professionals, researchers, and students from diverse backgrounds to strengthen knowledge, skills, and collaboration in addressing health inequities and advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.
Joining them in Medan, Yora Permata Dewi represented EHI in the course, and the week-long program featured seminars, interactive discussions, laboratory visits, field trips, and community engagement activities. Highlights from this summer course include sessions on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, digital health, and genomics. Fieldwork in Samosir, North Sumatra, and community health assessment in Primary Health Care Ambarita involved household visits for tuberculosis monitoring, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease screening, and community health assessments, followed by a table-top exercise presenting recommendations for health program improvements. The GLocal Summer Course combined theory with practical experience, fostering valuable cross-sector and cross-country collaboration. EHI believes that such initiatives are essential for tackling complex global health challenges and building stronger, more resilient health systems worldwide.
