On Oct 14-18, representatives from the health sector, industry, and political constituencies meet in Berlin for a World Health Summit to discuss how to respond to emerging challenges for health. Whilst resources and opportunities for health and care vary enormously across and within countries, the challenges of urbanisation, ageing populations, degraded environments, climate change, and novel pandemics are global, confronting all. The greatest health need is among disadvantaged people and countries, which are the focus of global health concerns in countries such as the USA and the UK. Interest in global health in US universities has grown massively, and a US Consortium of Universities for Global Health including over 50 academic institutions was launched at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last month. Much of this focus on global health has been driven by AIDS funding, particularly through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the NIH, by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and by new generations of activists, such as the "Generation WE" movement of young people in the USA. Some institutions have also been established in Europe, including those in London, Amsterdam, and Switzerland.
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