Thank you to all who attended Global Health Conference 2025!
About the Global Health Conference
Creativity Through Crisis: Lessons from Global Mental Health
When: Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 8:30 am – 1:30 pm PDT
Where: In-person at the Chan Centre for Family Health Education, BC Children’s Hospital + Virtual
On behalf of the Institute for Global Health at BC Children's Hospital and the BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, we present to you the 7th Annual Global Health Conference.
The Global Health Conference is an annual event bringing together a community of students, trainees, clinicians, researchers, and faculty from across health professions and disciplines to share knowledge. We hope that you will join us for a conversation on “Creativity Through Crisis: Lessons from Global Mental Health” with conference co-Chairs Dr. Jana Davidson and Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim. This year, we will examine the intensifying impact of global events such as conflict, climate change, and COVID-19 on mental health disparities worldwide. Our goal is to create an inclusive discussion forum for anyone interested in global health or mental health - everyone is welcome to attend.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Mohammed Abdulaziz is the Head of Division, Disease control and Prevention, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is a medical doctor and has a master’s in public health. He is a fellow of the West African College of Physician and rose to the rank of Chief Consultant Physician before Joining Africa CDC. He is one of the foundation senior epidemiologists who started the operationalization of Africa CDC in 2016 and had previously served as the Principal Medical Epidemiologist where he was the program coordinator for Africa CDC’s first regional initiative to strengthen public Health in Africa. He is a fellow of the Chatham House Africa Leadership Program in public Health. He has led the development and validation of the Africa CDC strategy on NCD, Injuries and Mental Health and that of the Reproductive health which are currently been implemented to support African Union member states. During the COVID-19 pandemic response he co-chaired the Infection Prevention and Control Technical Working Group for Africa CDC continental response to COVID-19. He is the coordinator of the Country engagement workstream of the Africa CDC SLL program. Dr Mohammed has over 40 publications in peer review journals.
Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim is an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia School of Social Work and a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar. He is an affiliated research investigator with Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and a past Clinical Addiction Fellow at the British Columbia Center on Substance Use. Dr. Mohamed’s areas of research focus on global mental health, addiction, mental health and psychosocial support and peacebuilding, task-shifting/sharing in lower- and middle-income (LMIC) settings. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in health and addiction. His health leadership and clinical work covers over 20 years in East Africa including working in the Kenya public health care system, refugee and internally displaced settings in Somalia, Kenya and Uganda. Dr. Mohamed also has extensive clinical experience in the mental health and addiction sector in Canada and United States of America.
Conference Schedule
Calling all trainees!
Are you conducting research in global health? We are currently accepting submissions to share your work via a 2-minute pre-recorded video at the conference! [Please note that your work does not need to be related to mental health]. Submissions are due by 11:59 PM PDT on March 26, 2025.
As part of the 7th Annual Global Health Conference, the Institute for Global Health is hosting an in-person trainee networking event entitled “Rethinking Global Mental Health in Times of Crisis: A Roundtable Discussion."
We are excited to announce that Dr. Mohammed Abdulaziz, Head of the Division of Disease Control and Prevention at Africa CDC, will be joining in person from Ethiopia. As one of the founding senior epidemiologists who led the operationalization of Africa CDC in 2016, Dr. Abdulaziz has played a pivotal role in shaping public health strategies across the African continent.
Trainees will have the unique opportunity to engage in small group discussions with Dr. Abdulaziz, exploring key topics such as the role of Africa CDC, opportunities in global health, health systems strengthening, and public health approaches to mental health. This is an in-person-only event and will take place after the conference from 1:30 - 2:30 PM in the Chan Centre at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute.