Texas Children’s Hosted Annual Global Health Executive Directors Meeting in Houston

Texas Children’s hosted the annual Texas Children’s Global Health Network Executive Directors Meeting on May 13-17, 2024, in Houston, TX. The week-long meeting reinforced the organization’s commitment to enhancing global health equity for children and women in resource-constrained settings around the world. Leaders from 9 countries across 3 continents convened to evaluate their ongoing initiatives, share best practices, and strategize for the future.

Executive directors from the Global Health Network implementing partner foundations in Argentina, Botswana, Colombia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Romania, Tanzania, and Uganda were in attendance. These leaders oversee 11 clinical centers of excellence and 9 satellite centers, playing a crucial role in the network’s mission to promote health equity worldwide.  

Leadership in Action: Achievements and Vision at the Executive Directors Meeting

Michael Mizwa, Director of the Texas Children’s Global Health and CEO of Baylor Global Health, kicked off the meeting with a comprehensive review of the network’s achievements and impact. "Last year, our network reached over 5.7 million people and trained more than 14,000 health professionals globally," Mizwa announced, highlighting the extensive impact of the network’s programs. Michael Mizwa was accompanied by executive vice president, Dan DiPrisco, who underscored pride in the impact and achievements of the network.

“Public-private partnerships are fundamental to the success of the network, playing a central role in its operations and achievements. The Global Health Network foundations enable partnership with local governments that ensure our efforts are aligned with local health priorities and integrated to strengthen public health systems,” Mizwa added.

The agenda focused on key operational areas like advancing data management, effective donor engagement, and innovative research methodologies. Workshops and roundtable discussions emphasized improving organizational management and building capacity across the network.  

Dr. Debbie Sukin joined the meeting to share insights from her first 100 days at Texas Children’s and learn more from the executive directors about their programs. Dr. Sukin spoke about her leadership approach of “purpose, passion, and pride,” and confirmed the support of Texas Children’s for the work being done across the Global Health Network.

Enhancing Global Health Partnerships

Dr. Dithan Kiragga, executive director of Baylor Foundation Uganda emphasized the valuable lessons learned working with USAID – they are one of the largest non-governmental organization recipients of global health funding from the U.S. government.  

The meeting also included a professional development workshop and training on "Advanced Emotional Intelligence" led by Sameera Rizvi from the TCH Organizational Development team.

Faculty, staff and learners engaged in Global Health activities from across Texas Children’s convened to interact with the executive directors at a reception during the meeting. The lively event fostered connections and encouraged collaboration across different sections and departments. 

The Texas Children’s Global Health Network exemplifies how cooperative efforts can bridge global health disparities, particularly for children and women.