The two-leg Global Learning event is a key part of the Equity Initiative as it enables Equity Fellows to expand their learning beyond Southeast Asia. It is designed to link Fellows to world-class scholars and inspirational leaders, thereby deepening their knowledge about equity values and approaches, further exposing them to leadership skills and competencies, and introducing them to cultural and historical contexts and on-the-ground social movements outside of Southeast Asia.

The 2017 Equity Fellows experienced Global Learning through trips to India and the USA. The Fellows first traveled to Delhi and the southern state of Kerala in India from May 7 to 14, followed by a trip to Boston and Cambridge, MA from June 4 to 10.

In India, the Fellows gained a sense of the human development challenges India faces and successes of its health system. They sampled the rich diversity and complexity of a fast-changing country through panel discussions and interactive engagements with distinguished speakers. In Delhi, topics of discussion included public health, the informal economy, environmental concerns, and press and media. In Kerala, an innovative, democratically elected state governed by the Communist Party, the program featured visits to primary health and palliative care service providers and social welfare activists. During the trip, the Fellows were also exposed to Indian culture and history through visits to the Humayan tomb and Sanskriti Museums, and a lecture on the Ayurvedic medical practice.

In Boston and Cambridge, fellows spent the week with leading specialists on leadership and health equity, who addressed such topics as  adaptive leadership, global health leadership, human suffering and caregiving, ethics of justice and equity, workers in the informal economy, and advocacy strategies, among others. To complement their academic experience, the Fellows stayed at the historic Adams House dormitory on Harvard University’s campus. The Boston trip also included field visits to Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA) and Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), which enabled the Fellows to learn about the U.S. health care system and innovations that are being pursued in healthcare delivery.