PLOS Global Public Heal h | h ps://doi.o g/10.1371/jou nal.pgph.0004428 Ap il 8, 2025 1 / 5
OPEN ACCESS
Ci a ion: Adam M, LaBeaud D, Mbewu N,
Ga es J, Waech e R, Bo bo -Co do a MJ, e
al. (2025) P o ec ing global heal h pa ne ships
in he e a o des uc i e na ionalism. PLOS
Glob Public Heal h 5(4): e0004428. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1371/jou nal.pgph.0004428
Edi o : Julia Robinson, PLOS: Public Lib a y o
Science, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Published: Ap il 8, 2025
Copy igh : © 2025 Adam e al. This is an open
access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o
he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License,
which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion,
and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he
o iginal au ho and sou ce a e c edi ed.
Funding: The au ho s ecei ed no speci ic
unding o his wo k.
Compe ing in e es s: The au ho s ha e
decla ed ha no compe ing in e es s exis .
OPINION
P o ec ing global heal h pa ne ships in he
e a o des uc i e na ionalism
Maya Adam 1,2*, Desi ee LaBeaud1, Nokwanele Mbewu3, Jenni e Ga es4,
Randall Waech e 5, Me cy J. Bo bo -Co do a6,7, Lydiah Kibe 8, Sonia Al a ez1,
Annie Do i9, Anil S. Bilimale 10, Meggie Mwoka11, Jessica De le 12, Michele Sp ing13,14,
A iel R. Diaz15, Rachael Fa quha 16, Willy Dunba 17, Com o R. Phi i18,
Vale ie A. Luzadis19, Nicole Red e s 20,21, C is ina Alonso 22,23, Rosema y Roch o d 24,
Rachel Lowe 25,26,27, Ka eem Coomansingh28, Moses Laman 29, Rebeca Sul ana 30,31,32,
Sadie Ryan 33, Amaya L. Bus induy34, Ani a S. Ha g a e-Bouagnon 35,
Shazia N. Ruybal-Pesán ez 36,37, Zebedee Ke y29, T e o Kelebi 38, Samuel McEwen36,
Leanne Robinson36,37, Ma i za Salaza Campo39, Till Bä nighausen2,23,40
1 Depa men o Pedia ics and he Cen e o Digi al Heal h, S an o d School o Medicine, S an o d
Uni e si y, S an o d, Cali o nia, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica, 2 Heidelbe g Ins i u e o Global Heal h (HIGH),
Heidelbe g Uni e si y, Heidelbe g, Ge many, 3 The DG Mu ay T us , Cape Town, Sou h A ica, 4 Icahn
School o Medicine a M . Sinai, M . Sinai, New Yo k, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica, 5 Ca ibbean Cen e o
Child Neu ode elopmen (CCCN) a Windwa d Islands Resea ch & Educa ion Founda ion (WINDREF),
G enada, Wes Indies, 6 Facul y o Ma i ime Enginee ing and Sea Sciences, Escuela Supe io Poli écnica
del Li o al (ESPOL), Guayaquil, Ecuado , 7 Paci c In e na ional Cen e o Disas e Risk Reduc ion (PIC-
DRR, ESPOL), Guayaquil, Ecuado , 8 Kenya Medical Resea ch Ins i u e, Eas e n Sou he n A ica Cen e
o In e na ional Pa asi e Con ol, Nai obi, Kenya, 9 Papua New Guinea-Aus alia T ansi ion o Heal h,
Po Mo esby, Papua New Guinea, 10 School o Public Heal h, JSS Medical College, Mysu u, Ka na aka,
India, 11 Rocke elle Founda ion-Bos on Uni e si y 3D Commission, Nai obi, Kenya, 12 Depa men
o Family and Communi y Medicine, Thomas Je e son Uni e si y Hospi al, Philadelphia, Pennsyl ania,
Uni ed S a es o Ame ica, 13 Depa men o Mic obiology and Immunology, S a e Uni e si y o New Yo k
(SUNY) Ups a e Medical Uni e si y, Sy acuse, New Yo k, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica, 14 Fo me ly, A med
Fo ces Resea ch Ins i u e o Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), Bangkok, Thailand, 15 Walking Palms Global
Heal h, Bahía de Ca áquez, Manabí, Ecuado , 16 Bu ne Ins i u e, Melbou ne, Aus alia, 17 Heal h
Sys ems and Policies – In e na ional Heal h Resea ch Cen e, School o Public Heal h, Uni e si é lib e
de B uxelles (ULB), B ussels, Belgium, 18 Zamba , Lusaka, Zambia, 19 S a e Uni e si y o New Yo k
College o En i onmen al Science and Fo es y and Hea Fo wa d Science, Sy acuse, New Yo k, Uni ed
S a es o Ame ica, 20 Schulich School o Medicine & Den is y, Uni e si y o Wes e n On a io, London,
On a io, Canada, 21 A c ic Indigenous Wellness Founda ion, Yellowkni e, No hwes Te i o ies, Canada,
22 La Colabo a i a, Chelsea, Massachuse s, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica, 23 Ha a d T.H. Chan School
o Public Heal h, Bos on, Massachuse s, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica, 24 Depa men o Immunology
and Mic obiology, Uni e si y o Colo ado Anschu z Medical Campus, Au o a, Colo ado, Uni ed S a es o
Ame ica, 25 Ba celona Supe compu ing Cen e , Ba celona, Spain, 26 Ca alan Ins i u ion o Resea ch
& Ad anced S udies (ICREA), Ba celona, Spain, 27 Cen e on Clima e Change & Plane a y Heal h and
Cen e o Ma hema ical Modelling o In ec ious Diseases, London School o Hygiene & T opical Medicine,
London, Uni ed Kingdom, 28 O ice o Resea ch, Windwa d Islands Resea ch & Educa ion Founda ion
(WINDREF), S . Geo ge’s Uni e si y, G enada, Wes Indies, 29 PNG Ins i u e o Medical Resea ch,
Go oka, Papua New Guinea, 30 In e na ional Cen e o Dia hoeal Disease Resea ch, Bangladesh,
31 Uni e si y o Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denma k, 32 Ins i u e o Heal h Economics, Uni e si y
o Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 33 Depa men o Geog aphy and he Eme ging Pa hogens Ins i u e,
Uni e si y o Flo ida, Gaines ille, Flo ida, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica, 34 Clinical Resea ch Depa men ,
London School o Hygiene & T opical Medicine, London, Uni ed Kingdom, 35 Depa men o In e nal
Medicine, Uni e si y o Cali o nia, San F ancisco, San F ancisco, Cali o nia, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica,
36 Bu ne Ins i u e, Melbou ne, Aus alia, 37 Wal e and Eliza Hall Ins i u e, Pa k ille, Aus alia, 38 Wes
Sepik P o incial Heal h Au ho i y, Vanimo, Sandaun, Papua New Guinea, 39 UCI Paul Me age School
o Business, Uni e si y o Cali o nia I ine, I ine, Cali o nia, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica, 40 A ica Heal h
Resea ch Ins i u e (AHRI), Somkhele, KwaZuluNa al, Sou h A ica
* madam@s an o d.edu
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Long-s anding global pa ne ships, c i ical o p o ec ing he heal h o human beings and
he plane we sha e, a e unde a ack in 2025. A ound he wo ld, a pendulum swing owa ds
na ionalism and populism [1] has h ea ened o des oy in e na ional scien i ic collabo a ions
ha ook decades o build. Globally, he ise o ha d- igh ex emism jeopa dizes agile s uc-
u es es ablished o p o ec he heal h and human igh s o people e e ywhe e [2]. The chaos
o haphaza d dis up ion, de oid o accoun abili y, no malizes a lack o pe cei ed esponsi-
bili y o ou ellow human beings [3]. Reckless global socio-poli ical shi s hu all o us, as
ci izens o one wo ld, sha ing i s limi ed esou ces and acing common h ea s o diseases ha
espec nei he bo de s no execu i e o de s [4,5].
As scien is s and global heal h ad oca es, we ha e dedica ed ou ca ee s (and much o
ou li es) o de eloping and es ing inno a i e solu ions ha an icipa e, p e en , manage
and elimina e se ious h ea s o he heal h o ou global communi y. Ou new eali y d i es
us o con inue ou wo k. We a e accus omed o challenges and ecognize hei capaci y o
s eng hen ou ision o he u u e. We ha e lea ned impo an lessons, o e decades o com-
bined expe ience and we ha e joined o ces, ac oss he globe, o communica e hese b oadly
[6]. We belie e ha long- e m, us ing, esilien global pa ne ships ha e he po en ial o
ca y ou global communi y h ough c ises. I he global heal h communi y is o wea he
he cu en s o m, we mus ebuild, es o e and ein o ce ou c i ically impo an b idges o
collabo a ion, by e he ing hem o a se o solid, es ed ounda ions [6], summa ized he e and
illus a ed in Fig 1.
Holis ic sys ems app oach
Fi s , we ecognize he in e connec edness and in e dependence o he en i onmen , animal,
and human sys ems. The onslaugh o ecen disease ou b eaks ha e been undeniably linked
o clima e change. Resul ing calls o a uni ied One Heal h app oach dese e ou immedia e
a en ion [7]. In he sho e m, his demands he pu pose ul c ea ion o a sha ed agenda, sup-
po ed by science, in an icipa ion o a u u e in which a ional go e nmen s will p io i ize i .
To ha end, we mus pe sis in hope ulness. Despi e cu en challenges, we ha e agency, and
we can use ou pa ne ships o os e and p epa e o needed change.
Team science is be e science
The science unde lying a holis ic sys ems app oach can only be accomplished h ough
pa ne ships ac oss scien i ic disciplines, di e se a eas o expe ise and li ed expe ience.
Team science eme ges as a powe ul way o conduc ing scien i ic esea ch [8]. Mos global
heal h challenges a e mul i-dimensional, so he eams s udying hem need o include a ious
dimensions o expe ise and di e en pe spec i es. This in ol es expanding he bounda ies
o wha is accep ed as legi ima e science, beyond Eu o-wes e n-cen ic science, o include
complemen a y ways o unde s anding he wo ld. Collabo a ion ac oss disciplines in ol es
emb acing he di e se, o en challenging, oles o global heal h wo k and nu u ing ou
di e en pe spec i es h ough adap i e eamwo k and lexibili y. Fu he mo e, we mus
e alua e and i e a i ely imp o e ou p ac ice o eam science, using key amewo ks, models
and app oaches o iden i y p ocedu al s eng hs and weaknesses. I e a i e collabo a ion goes
beyond epe i ion.
Decolonizing global heal h
Th oughou his o y, colonialism has ueled heal h dispa i ies, disen anchisemen , and high
mo ali y among colonized peoples. When powe ul na ions impose sys ems ha neglec
ce ain g oups, majo heal h dispa i ies a e ine i able. We mus acknowledge hese o igins
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o global heal h dispa i ies, educa e ou sel es on he his o y o he place and he people
wi h whom we pa ne , and wo k o add ess he e ec s o coloniza ion. Fo example, local
communi ies a e cen al o he co-c ea ion p ocess, i he esul ing solu ions a e o be e ec-
i e. We mus seek mechanisms o equipping and suppo ing local leade s, while we apply
an i- acism, gende , and in e sec ional amewo ks o ed ess his o ical injus ices. We mus
ans o m unding schemes, educa ional sys ems, and esea ch incen i es o inc ease equi able
Fig 1. Founda ions o global heal h p ac ice and pa ne ship.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1371/jou nal.pgph.0004428.g001
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ecogni ion in science, equi able bene i s, imp o ed esou ce sha ing, and capaci y-building.
We need collabo a ions ee o neo-colonial powe -hie a chies and s uc u es, cha ac e ized
by anspa ency and aligned esou ce lows. Such global pa ne ships will bene i he heal h o
ma ginalized communi ies wo ldwide and, in so doing, bene i all.
Communica ion ma e s
Science-based heal h messages mus be deli e ed in ways ha a e accessible o di e se, global
audiences. This in ol es mee ing people whe e hey a e – including whe e hey consume
in o ma ion – and conside ing hei di e se li e expe iences ela ed o educa ion, language,
li e acy and cul u al a ilia ion. The design o e ec i e global heal h communica ions ideally
in ol es he audiences hey aim o each – c ea ing heal h messages wi h hem and o hem.
S ong lines o communica ion a e essen ial o he p omo ion o an in e connec ed and
esilien global socie y. These lines can only be buil upon a ounda ion o mu ual espec and
sha ed humani y.
E ec i e communica ion among global heal h pa ne s is equally impo an and should be
cen e ed a ound us . Consis en ly applying e hical p inciples ac i ely le els powe imbal-
ances, p omo es gende equi y and ele a es ma ginalized oices. We will ine i ably wo k
wi hin impe ec sys ems o d i e change. The impe ec ions challenge all o us o main ain
ou capaci y o empa hy and ou sense o sha ed humani y. Tha sense allows us o expe i-
ence he joy o basic human connec ions ha powe ully ca alyze and sus ain ou wo k – and
joy is c i ical o he ul illmen and long- e m commi men o indi iduals and eams. Abo e
all else, i we a e o be e ec i e global heal h pa ne s, we mus s ay open and humble, p ac ice
espec ul lis ening, use au hen ic s o y elling, lay aside biases, sel - e lec , lea n om ou
ailu es, and g ow wi h he p ocess.
Call o ac ion
Th oughou his o y, human beings ha e li ed wi h sel -des uc ion. Globally, he ise o
ex eme na ionalism has ueled xenophobia, acism and wi hd awal om in e na ional
ag eemen s. Populis ideologies ha e sp ead unp eceden ed mis us in science. Basic human
igh s ha e been dep io i ized. We ha e waged b u al wa s on one ano he and on ou plane .
We ha e lea ned, he ha d way, ha e ible hings happen when we ail o wo k oge he . As a
global eam o esea che s, physicians, communi y heal h ad oca es, scien is s and educa o s,
ou wo k depends on sha ed leade ship as we design human-cen e ed solu ions o he heal h
o ou wo ld. The shi ing socio-poli ical landscape emboldens and u he mo i a es us o
ealize a di e en ision o ou u u e – a consensus u u e cha ac e ized by espec , sha ed
humani y and mu ual esponsibili y o ou ellow global ci izens and he plane we sha e. Ou
call o ac ion is bo h u gen and c i ical: join us in p o ec ing global heal h and he pa ne -
ships ha sus ain i .
Re e ences
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h ps://doi.o g/10.1093/ia/iiaa230
2. Falkenbach M, Heiss R. Populis adical igh and heal h. Sp inge ; 2021.
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2021;50(1):114–41. h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/0090591720985770
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