Given the tremendous advances in the quality of healthcare in the 20th century, maternal death during childbirth may seem to be a concern of the past. However, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) fact sheet on maternal mortality released … Continue Reading

“Every eight minutes a woman dies needlessly as a result of an unsafe illegal abortion,” reads the facts page of the Women on Waves website.  Women on Waves (WoW) is a Dutch pro-choice non-profit organization on a mission to “empower … Continue Reading

The structure of healthcare around the globe varies as widely as the health issues facing the citizens of every country. Funding for health care systems is equally variant, and largely dictated by both the economic and developmental status of each … Continue Reading

It is difficult to criticize the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation when its annual contributions to global public health programs and initiatives total $800 million dollars, an amount comparable to the funds invested by the United Nation’s World Health Organization … Continue Reading

Right now, look at the tag of your t-shirt.  Does it say that it was made in [some country other than the U.S.]? Now, imagine being able to say the same thing for your hip replacement or your new nose … Continue Reading

As the frontier of medical discovery expands every day, our focus on understanding and controlling our own biological systems is growing, especially at the microscopic level.  In fact, many advances in the past few years have allowed us to issue … Continue Reading

When the FDA first approved robot-assisted surgery, FDA commissioner Jane E. Henney exclaimed, “This system is the first step in the development of new robotic technology that eventually could change the practice of surgery.”  Almost ten years later, Dr. Henney’s … Continue Reading

The World Health Organization estimates that roughly ten mil­lion people die each year sim­ply because they do not have access to existing medicines. The crisis is global, but surprisingly, one important solu­tion is entirely local. Yale’s approach to the patenting … Continue Reading

While Dharavi’s residents can live anonymously within its borders for years, visitors to Asia’s largest slum draw stares and an almost tangible tension. Such was the response when I went for my first field visit, but now people barely even … Continue Reading

Although much of the scrutiny involving President Obama’s plans for health care is focused on his domestic policy, his views on global health have also attracted a lot of attention. In a White House statement released on May 5th, 2009, … Continue Reading