Alumni
Course: 2023-2024
My name is Bruno Marchetti. I work as a physician in Italy near Milan. In 2019 I graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Pavia. During my studies, I had the opportunity of training and doing research in UK, Germany and Spain. Since then I have a strong interest in Infectious Diseases and Public Health issues. I’m currently attending the Emergency Department and Internal Medicine ward assisting my patients with enthusiasm and compassion.
“So far I’ve only had a vague idea of what a Global Health expert deal with everyday. Thanks to the MGH, I had the opportunity to meet some excellent professionals who shared their knowledge and experience with us: the variety of people backgrounds in the Global Health sector was surprising. In the first part of the course, we were taught how both observational and experimental studies are designed and carried out. Being familiar with their objectives as well as their pros and cons is useful for critically reading scientific papers. In addition being able to interpret a manuscript statistical analysis is a valuable skill. Later, the following Master’s modules focused on epidemiology and its role in data collection and analysis. An effective health intervention relies on the ability to scrutinize epidemiological characteristics of a country’s population, such as demographic trends, health determinants, and disease burden. This topic has sparked my interest since my medical studies, and this was an occasion to delve deeper into the subject. I also enjoyed learning more about Global Health projects and their practical issues such as resource management and scaling-up strategies. Finally, through the master’s assignments, I was encouraged to improve communication skills and to work as a team with my classmates, with whom I shared good times.
When I enrolled in the Master’s program a few months ago, I had an abstract definition of Global Health in mind, mainly related to volunteering in developing countries and drafting policies within international organizations. At present I recognize the close connection between Global Health and field epidemiology. Without the contribution of epidemiologists, in particular their ability to describe and interpret health-related events in quantitative terms, policymakers wouldn’t be able to make evidence-based decisions.
In this regard, the course module I appreciated most was dedicated to the surveillance of infectious diseases (with a focus on tuberculosis). Knowing how demographic and health data are collected is as important as managing and interpreting results in the proper way to formulate the best recommendations. Nowadays we have at our disposal lots of data, which can be processed by innovative computing and AI tools. The concept of Precision Global Health (PGH) is based on the exploitation of data science combined with social and life science to identify transnational issues and adopt more specific and effective interventions. However, I believe that the importance of data lies not only in their quality and quantity but also in the purpose for which they are employed. Global Health has a different mission than epidemiology. While epidemiologists aim to describe diseases and their causes as accurately as possible, those working in the Global Health sector are tasked with organizing health interventions to alleviate the burden of diseases, especially in the poorest countries. Equity is clearly a major concern. For them, health is a collective good to be protected and, at the same time, a multidimensional concept shaped by economic, social, political, and environmental factors. Indeed the definition of PGH also calls for a multidisciplinary and integrated approach”.
My future engagement in Global Health
In the next months I hope to widen my perspective about Global Health problems going beyond my medical background. A future sustainable world involves cooperation between nations and concern for the most vulnerable countries, which suffer disproportionately from conflicts, epidemics and climate change. To achieve these goals a much bigger effort is needed.
Since I am a clinician willing to pursue a Global Health career, I will take the first steps in a healthcare setting based in a low income country. I’m particularly eager to treat infectious diseases such as HIV which I’ve been passionate about for a long time. At present the chance of traveling to remote places and providing care to people in need is really inspiring. Then, if I ever decide to dedicate myself entirely to either Tropical Medicine or Global Health, at least I will have some valuable work experience.