The picture of the week

Towards Unity for Health, Philadelphia, USA

Khalifa Elmusharaf - GFMER Coordinator for Sudan

2025-10-01

One of the most rewarding experiences at hashtag#TUFH2025 in Philadelphia was facilitating two workshops with my PhD student Sébastien Poix:

• A Hands-On Guide to Building Investment Cases for NCDs
• Estimating the Economic Burden of Disease in Your Country

The rooms were full, with colleagues from universities and institutions across the globe, all bringing diverse perspectives, challenges, and aspirations.

What stood out most was not just the lively discussions but the sense of purpose. Participants left inspired, determined to go back to their home countries with fresh ideas:

• To change the narrative around health: from cost to investment.
• To build strong economic arguments that convince decision-makers.
• To design solutions that are evidence-based, practical, and transformative.

This is why we do what we do. Knowledge, when shared in the right spaces, has the power to ripple outward; shaping policies, strengthening systems, and ultimately improving lives.

This is the same spirit we nurture in our MPH at the University of Birmingham Dubai: equipping learners to connect knowledge with policy, and to transform evidence into impact.

Grateful for the chance to contribute, to learn, and to be reminded that together we can reimagine access to health and create lasting impact.