Global Health Sciences Unit

Globalization has created an enormous dependency between all nation states, with the closest global networking so far affecting people's health around the globe. Like modern epidemics, unhealthy ways of life, such as Smoking, drinking and eating processed foods are easy and simple and cause huge health problems. Due to the interdependence, economic crises that arise in one part of the world have the potential to spread worldwide.This leads to economic instability and diminished growth and further contributes to worsening the social determinants of health, especially affecting poor people in low and high income countries alike.

We strive to better understand the impact of globalization processes on health. To do so, we use the emerging global health concept, in particular to understand the complexity of influences that transcend territorial boundaries and that can not be counteracted by domestic institutions of individual nation states.

We think global health beyond the concepts of "public health" and "international health", but consider its core issue. We explore the potential of inter-professional and multi-sectoral teamwork, collaboration in networks, and new forms of Web 2.0 communication to analyze and teach the idea of ​​global health.