The Open Medical Institute concluded its 2020 academic year with a webinar in Public Health Law. This multidisciplinary leadership course, which takes place annually, is run in collaboration with the Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI) of Maastricht University and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER).
Kasia Czabanowska, PhD from Maastricht University (The Netherlands), and Scott Burris, JD from Temple University Beasley School of Law (USA), co-directed the course again this year. Together with the OMI veterans and public health experts Suzanne Babich, DrPH, MS from Indiana University (USA), Farhang Tahzib (United Kingdom) and Timo Clemens, PhD from Maastricht University (The Netherlands), they discussed the following topics:
- Introduction to the Transdisciplinary Model of Public Health Law
- Connecting EPHOs and PHL Essential Services in the Light of WHO-ASPHER Competency Framework for Public Health Workforce in the European Region
- The Five Essential Public Health Law Services: Policy Development
- Public Health Ethics in Practice
- The Five Essential Public Health Law Services: Putting Policy Ideas into Law
- In Whose Interest? The Role of Stakeholders in Global Health Policies
- Enforcing and Defending Legal Solutions: A Case-Based Discussion
- The Five Essential Public Health Law Services: Implementation, Enforcement and Evaluation
All lectures were followed by lively discussions between faculty and fellows. The 30 participants from 16 different countries showed enormous interest and addressed many questions to the course directors and faculty members.
Solutions to the world’s most complex and urgent global health problems require bold and skillful action. They demand the dedicated efforts of a diverse workforce prepared with the technical expertise – and the will to apply it – to make the world a happier and healthier place. The OMI Salzburg Maastricht University Seminar in Public Health Law is making a major contribution to this goal. It brings together a vibrant group of professionals from varied backgrounds who have in common their passion and commitment to improving the public’s health. The seminar focus is on using policy and the law to support global public health. Fellows care about climate change, noncommunicable diseases, pandemic disease, inequities and access to health care, strengthening global health systems, and many other critical issues. Their week in Salzburg, and the network they gain from participating, inspire and support them. Thanks to the OMI Salzburg Maastricht University Seminar in Public Health Law, they are better equipped to make a difference.