Research Issue - Harvard School of Dental Medicine

global health fo cus“Advances in biotechnology may create the quantum leapneeded to overcome the major challenges of health careprovision in poor and developing countries.”—Winston P. KuoEffective heath planning must anticipate future health caretechnologies and take into account their potential impacts. Iasked the audience to consider the question, “Using biotechtools, where and how in the health care delivery chain candeveloping-country health systems intervene to deliver themost bang for their limited buck?”Successful implementation will depend upon cooperationamong universities, hospitals, existing laboratories, privatebiotechnology companies, and research institutions bothlocally and abroad. The ability to create the necessary networkof people and resources will be the final piece needed to completethis circle.Hplanning for the futureFortunately, some of the infrastructure required for the functioningof such a biotechnology-driven health care platform iscurrently being implemented in Nigeria. The first of two privatelyoperated subsea fiber-optic cables has arrived in Lagos,delivering sufficient bandwidth to make cloud computing,collaborations in computational biology, and collaborationamong international research institutions a realistic possibility.Dr. Idris promised that his ministry would “critically look intothe recommendations from the lecture,” acknowledging thathis country’s “current methods of organizing and deliveringhealth care are unable to meet the expectations of patients andtheir families because the science and technologies involved inhealth care—the knowledge, skills, care interventions, devices,and drugs have advanced more rapidly than our ability todeliver them safely, effectively, and efficiently.” While stressingthat the time to prepare to meet future health challenges is now,Dr. Idris noted that the current quarter of this century will becharacterized by head-to-head competition in industries thatoffer high-paying jobs to their workers and bring prosperityand world prestige to their countries. He said predictions ofwhat medical care may be like in coming decades offer dramaticimages of advanced health care.The symposium concluded with the recognition that these newtechnologies present both major challenges and opportunities.Saudi Dental Faculty Visit HSDMIn January 2011, HSDM hosted visitors from the KingSaud University College of Dentistry, Kingdom of SaudiArabia, for discussions about establishing partnershipsbetween the two institutions. The Saudi representativesand their HSDM hosts explored areas including studentand faculty exchanges and academic and research collaborations.HSDM plans to continue these discussions,with the goal of establishing formal ties between the twoinstitutes of dental education.Dean and Professor Khalid Al Wazzan (left) and AssociateProfessor of Endodontics Solaiman M. Al-Hadlaq, of KingSaud University College of Dentistry in Saudi Arabia,flank Dean Bruce Donoff during a visit to HSDM.21