Summary of Week 6 and the course

JOY LAWN: Congratulations on finishing this six week course. My name is Joy Lawn, and I’m a professor here at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. During the six weeks you’ve taken a accelerated race through the human race. And within that, you have seen different faces– adolescents, women, newborns, and children. And, yet, with those different faces, there are commonalities. This week we’ve looked at common challenges, particularly gender based violence, and also nutrition– both over and under nutrition. But in each of those weeks we’ve met common other challenges, such as infections, non-communicable conditions, mental health issues, and disability. And yet, there are also opportunities throughout that life course for major change.

Data, evidence, and we hope that those drive the funding, although– as we’ve seen this week– funding is not always driven by data and evidence and important transformations that can come with innovations. And those aren’t just technological innovations. They can be health system or behavioural change innovations, community norms that shift. And there are challenges that are common outside the health system, as well. We’ve focused within the health system. But there are huge and important contributions to be paid by water, and sanitation, education, and threats that come from climate change or humanitarian conditions.

So as we look at this through the life course, things that are common, things that are inside the health system, and things that are outside, an important inspiration that we want to leave you with is that in the 10 years that we have left to meet goals to improve women’s and children’s health, to transform the next generation– that you and I are part of a generation that, for the first time ever, can bring that change. This course is not just about big numbers of deaths or disability. It’s not just about theoretical evidence. But also about what can and must be done to bridge those divides around the world. We have so enjoyed this journey with you.

We hope that you have learned something new, seen something new. But most of all that you would do something differently after this course– studied more, do more, listen more, find a way to innovate and bring change. And share your journey with us. We would love to hear back from you for what you do for the next generation. Thank