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Mailman School Students Facilitate Round-Table Discussions at Clinton Global Initiative
In September, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), a non-partisan project of the William J. Clinton Foundation, convened its second annual meeting in New York City, bringing together a select and diverse group of leaders from around the world to discuss and take action against today's pressing global issues.
The three-day conference addressed a variety of problems within four main topic areas: global health, energy and climate change, mitigating religious and ethnic conflict, and poverty alleviation. In bringing together heads of state, CEOs, philanthropists and foundation heads, religious leaders, and leaders of non-profit organizations, the CGI aims to match people who possess resources with those who have innovative ideas and capabilities for implementing solutions to global problems.
Alison Lin and Owen Ryan
As a means of tracking and recording interactions between conference participants, CGI planners asked a small group of Mailman School students to monitor round-table discussions held throughout the conference. Following a rigorous screening process, Alison Lin, Julia Michie, and Owen Ryan, all from the Department of Population and Family Health, and Sheila Anane, Sabrina Lenoir, and Hala Al Saraf, of the Department of Health Policy and Management, were selected to capture discussions on global health.
According to Julia Michie, a small panel of experts held discussions on global health topics, such as neglected tropical diseases and prevention and treatment of global chronic diseases. Questions were then given to round-table participants for discussion amongst themselves. "As facilitators, it was our job to capture the exchanges that transpired at our tables," said Ms. Michie. The facilitators recorded and fed the discussion in real time back to the panelists, who concluded each session by commenting on the round-table discussions.
From left: Sheila Anane, Julia Michie, Sabrina Lenoir, and Hala Al Saraf
"It was amazing to be among such a diverse group of dynamic people who are passionate about global health issues," said Ms. Michie. "The conference really built capacity for initiating meaningful change. It was incredibly inspirational."
"Being surrounded by so many experts, dignitaries, and influential people exposed me to a wealth of information and new ideas," said Hala Al Saraf of her experience. "I also gained a new understanding of the business side of raising funds, and the importance of communication between private and corporate funders and those implementing solutions in the field. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in this conference."
At the conclusion of the conference, Bill Clinton announced that approximately $7.3 billion had been pledged through 215 commitments. Funding for global health activities included providing new water systems to thousands of communities and schools in sub-Saharan Africa and increasing access to medical care and malaria prevention.
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