The Ethics of Priority Setting in Global Health

Professor Ole Norheim will discuss the ethical challenges of priority setting in global health, with a focus on advancing universal health coverage in low- and middle-income countries. Despite significant progress in reducing child and maternal mortality over the past 25 years, many nations continue to face difficult choices about how to allocate limited health resources fairly and effectively. This session will examine frameworks for balancing equity, efficiency, and ethical responsibility in health policy decision-making. By highlighting approaches that promote fairness while addressing real-world constraints, the discussion will shed light on how global health systems can move toward more just and sustainable coverage for all. A Q&A will follow the presentation.

This event is free and open to the public.

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Ole Norheim, MD
Mary B. Saltonstall Professor of Ethics and Population Health at the Department of Global Health and Population, HSPH

Ole Norheim is a physician and Mary B. Saltonstall Professor of Ethics and Population Health at the Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He co-founded the Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health at the University of Bergen, Norway, and is an Adjunct Researcher at the centre. He is the Lead Series Editor of Disease Control Priorities (fourth edition) and a member of the Lancet Commission on Sustainable Healthcare. Norheim chaired the World Health Organization’s Consultative Group on Equity and Universal Health Coverage (2012–14) and its Technical Advisory Board on Health Benefit Packages (2019-21).

About the Global Research and Innovation Speaker Series

The Harvard Global Health Institute’s Global Health Research and Innovation Speaker Series showcases the latest scholarly and scientific advancements in global health across Harvard and beyond, to make cutting-edge research accessible to a diverse global audience, and to spark innovative solutions in the pursuit of health equity and improved health outcomes worldwide. The public series takes place virtually on the second Tuesday of each month from 12:00 to 12:45 pm ET. Each session will include a presentation by a featured speaker showcasing their innovative research in global health, followed by a moderated Q&A.

The Harvard Global Health Institute provides a platform for different perspectives and debates within the field of global health through a variety of media. The views expressed in these events and programs are solely those of the speakers, authors, researchers, and participating audience. As such, they do not speak for the institute or the university.