23 Feb UvA in the spotlight
Interview with Frank Cobelens, professor of Epidemiology and Control of Poverty-Related Infectious Diseases on eliminating infectious diseases and making quality healthcare available across the planet. Despite major advances in the field of medicine over the last 50 years, many people across the globe continue to have limited access to adequate healthcare. This fact has been compounded by the process of globalization, which has not only seen infectious diseases spread more easily across borders, but has also led to a growing inequality in the area of healthcare.
To address these and other issues, the University of Amsterdam, together with a number of partners, created the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD) in 2009. This institute, which forms part of the UvA’s Global Health research priority area, brings together researchers from a wide spectrum of disciplines who work on making high-quality healthcare available in the developing world. Its primary aim is to provide sustainable solutions to major health problems by linking teaching and research to healthcare delivery.
In this month’s edition, UvA in the Spotlight speaks to Frank Cobelens, newly appointed chair of the AIGHD executive board and professor of Epidemiology and Control of Poverty-Related Infectious Diseases at the UvA.