Global Health at DFM | Family Medicine | School of Medicine

Queen’s Department of Family Medicine defines Global Health as broadly as possible, taking into account characteristics of people, systems and structures which lead to inequities in health and in healthcare access. These inequities may be found between different areas of Canada, or between people within the same community. They may be found in politically stable low- and middle-income countries overseas, or among populations who have been the victims of intense strife and displacement.

Humanity faces and will continue to face national and international challenges which will have significant impacts on population health, including climate change, mass movements of populations, conflict, emergence of infectious diseases, and economic challenges. These challenges will place increasing burdens on health and social systems, increasing the already-huge gap between the rich and the poor within and among nations, and potentially leading to increases in global conflict, and changes in global patterns of migration and disease.

As stated in the Lancet definition, Global Health seeks to improve health and to achieve equity in health for all people worldwide. This is part of the mission of the Department of Family Medicine.

The Department of Family Medicine at Queen’s University has been engaged in global health activities for several decades. As an example, faculty members were involved for fifteen years in the Queen's University Family Medicine Development Program in Bosnia and Herzegovina leading the reform of their primary health-care system following the war in the Balkans. More recently, our faculty have been instrumental in establishing training experiences for our residents in the Falkland Islands. Faculty have also been involved in research and capacity building activities at Mae Fah Luang University in Thailand, as well as with community based organizations in the town of Mae Sot, on the Thai-Burmese border.

If you are interested in Global Health opportunities – connect with Dr. Eva Purkey eva.purkey@queensu.ca