Minnesota on a Global Stage
In a recent Office of Academic Clinical Affairs video, CGHSR Director, Dr. Shailey Prasad, talks about the center and social responsibility. The video transcript is available below.
We live in an interconnected world. When we look at conditions that affect people somewhere else in the world, we realize that pretty soon—if not already—it has started affecting people in Minnesota. To give you a few examples, some of the most important research that’s being done in aging-related work is being done in other countries. For example, in Ecuador or in China. The practical applications of the research that’s being done there is very high here in Minnesota. It’s going to affect every Minnesotan.
Social Responsibility
The question of social responsibility is a very important one. In its most simplest form, it means that we are responsible for things around us. Understanding that we as human beings are socially embedded creatures is an integral part of our identity as a learner, as a researcher, and as an academician. We run a course for globalization, global health, and leadership in Mysore, India and in that, we show that health–as an entity beyond just clinical care–is nested in society.
CGHSR & U
We have identified ourselves as a convener. Imagine a water cooler. We have that water cooler. We want the conversations to occur. We want people to come together to look at complex issues. With the different lenses that people bring from different disciplines, we actually enrich the conversation that much more, which might lead to better research, better educational programs, and better capacity programs. We are here to reach across disciplines, not just in the traditional health sciences, but to other disciplines, say for example, the Humphrey School and its work in healthy policy. For example, the Law School and its work with the human rights program. For example, agriculture, forestry, sociology. All of these have very important things to do with health. And we look at health in this very comprehensive view. And as a center, we prompt the interconnections between the various disciplines.