Virtual

In this presentation, Dr. Goodarz Danaei will discuss emerging approaches to cardiovascular risk prediction and prevention, including the use of causal inference methods and nationally representative data to develop more accurate risk models. He will explore the limitations of existing prediction tools, which often rely on outdated cohort studies or nonrepresentative electronic medical record data, and present new research aimed at improving population-level prevention strategies in the United States and globally.

This session examines the state of AI in global health through a central question: What structural challenges does global health face, which of those can AI realistically help address, under what conditions, and where does hype outpace the evidence?

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in health systems, how can we know whether these tools are delivering meaningful health benefits? AI tools can be updated and redeployed faster than the evidence validating them, raising the question of whether current evaluation frameworks are built for the speed of adoption. This session explores what rigorous impact assessments for AI tools should address.

In this presentation, Dr. Rebbeck will offer an exposition of the problems and suggestions to address them. Examples include the development of research and clinical translation by the Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate (MADCaP) Network that builds an African knowledge base around factors driving prostate cancer disparities in Africa. Additional initiatives like the African Oncogenetics Network and the STARS Training Program further enhance research capacity by training African scientists, establishing biobanks, supporting mentorship, and ensuring sustainable, high-impact cancer research infrastructure that benefits both African communities and the global scientific community.

This webinar will explore how governance and ethical frameworks can keep pace with innovation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The discussion will highlight emerging approaches to transparent, inclusive governance and practical strategies to ensure AI supports public health priorities and advances health equity rather than reinforcing existing disparities.

In this webinar, Professor Ann Forsyth examines aging in place through the lens of the built environment. Moving beyond traditional approaches focused on health maintenance and caregiver supply, she explores how physical environments can support older adults and address the care challenges of an aging population.

This webinar highlights two complementary strategies that reflect distinct but aligned approaches to improving maternal care delivery. Together, these perspectives illustrate how “high-tech” tools that amplify women’s voices and “high-touch” training that centers compassionate, patient-responsive care can address different challenges within maternal healthcare systems.

This event highlights Professor Koenen’s research and perspectives on expanding the global reach of psychiatric genetics to advance equity and understanding in mental health science and will include time for audience Q&A. This event is free and open to the public.

The Global Health Coffee Sessions is a virtual series of timely conversations on wide-ranging topics at the intersection of health, policy, and global cooperation. Held on the last Friday of each month from 9:00–10:00 AM ET, this series brings together global health experts, policymakers, and practitioners from Harvard and beyond for dynamic, forward-looking discussions.

Since the early stages of his career, Joseph P. Gone has been examining depression and problem drinking within his own community on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. During this work, he interviewed a cultural traditionalist named Traveling Thunder, who linked substance abuse challenges to the historical and ongoing impacts of Euro-American colonization on community life. Building on these insights, Professor Gone proposes an alternative Indigenous mental health discourse, an “alter-Native psy-ence”, that contests and recasts mainstream psychiatric concepts and reframes “mental health” problems as postcolonial disorders.