Gottfried Schmer Memorial Lecture: “Colonialism: the lingering effects of the past in the present”

Participants were invited to consider the current field of global health through the historical lens of tropical medicine. Individuals were asked to “linger” and personally ponder how colonialism, imperialism, racism, power differentials, and cultural perceptions and misperceptions influenced tropical medicine and are currently manifested in global health. Using the US as an example of the global north, an exploration was undertaken of how the interplay of race, ethnicity and the history of slavery has affected the field – including the scientific questions asked and how study results are interpreted. The exploration was further guided by literature regarding the field’s origins, examination of the persistence of health disparities despite economic class status, and curated reflections from the speaker’s career as an academic global health educator and researcher. The case is made that such considerations may lead an individual to reframe and change course in how they conduct and interact with others in their careers, ultimately impacting many—as did Dr. Schmer.

After viewing this lecture, participants should be able to:
1.Define colonialism and its impact on current relationships in global health research, science and medicine.
2.Describe and give examples of how and why colonialism might affect one’s world view.
3.Consider possibilities of how given the history and influence of colonialism on biomedical science, attendees might change their research and teaching methods as well as interactions with others in the field.

Linnie M. Golightly, MD
Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology
Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Global Health
Weill Cornell Medicine
President, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)

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