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An interview with Prof. Michael Merson, Director of the Global Health Institute at Duke University(1)
Special：Xing Talk—Celebrities Interview
Editor’s Note: Xing Talk is a new column runs regularly by Xing Zong, a Chinese graduate student at Duke University pursuing a Ph.D. degree in physics. As a rocket scientist, Xing’s passion also lies in writing and interacting with people. He contributes to China.com regularly with his interesting interviews of Presidents in U.S. top universities, Nobel Laureates, business/law school deans and leading academicians. As Xing said, “my biggest discovery after arriving in U.S. was that my first name “Xing” had a nice interpretation of the on-road sign crossing. Indeed, I stand at the cross road of two different cultures and eager to connect Uncle Sam and Red Dragon.” Recently Xing held an exclusive interview with Judy Woodruff, the former CNN news anchor.
About Duke Global Health Institute
The seeds of Duke Global Health can be found in James B. Duke's indenture of 1924 that established Duke University “to develop our resources, increase our wisdom, and promote human happiness.” Following this tradition, in the autumn of 2004, Duke University Health Center Chancellor Victor Dzau and Provost Peter Lange proposed a global health initiative in response to the world crisis of disparities in health care. Scholars from across all campuses at Duke were appointed to a steering committee and began work to develop plans for Duke Global Health, building on the foundations of research, education and service.
About Prof. Michael Merson
Between 1978 and 1995, Dr. Merson served consecutively as Director of three international health programs in the World Health Organization dealing with diarrheal diseases, acute respiratory infections, and HIV/AIDS. His previous research related to the epidemiology of diarrheal diseases, including cholera, in developing countries. His current major research interests are policies related to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in vulnerable and underserved populations in the United States and abroad. He was the Director of Yale's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA), which supports HIV/AIDS prevention and care research and studies of related policy issues. He is also the Principal Investigator of Yale's AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP) in St. Petersburg, Russia, as well as the International Clinical, Operational and Health Services Research and Training Award (ICOHRTA) Program in Pretoria, South Africa. In addition, he directs HIV/AIDS monitoring and evaluation projects in Southern and West Africa, as well as in India. Now he serves as the Director of Duke’s Global Health Institute.
Zong: Prof. Merson, thanks for taking my interview. First question for you, how did you wind up in the health area? Why did you want to get a M.D. degree?
Merson: I have been interested in science and medicine as long as I can remember. One of my grandfathers was a cardiologist and he often talked with me about the joy in helping his patients recover from their illnesses. Later in life, I came to appreciate how illness was greatly affected by social, economic and political factors, which greatly stimulated my interest in prevention and led me to a career in public health.
Zong: You have gained extensive global health experience from your leadership role in world health organization (WHO). In your opinion, what are the most pressing issues in terms of health facing this world and how do we address them?
Merson: We face many pressing global health issues today. These, of course, include AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. But just about everywhere the greatest challenges we will face over the next 20-30 years will be diseases associated with obesity and tobacco use. I am thinking of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and tobacco related cancers. Other important issues include aging, global environmental health, women’s health, and emerging infectious diseases, including avian influenza.
Editor’s Note: Xing Talk is a new column runs regularly by Xing Zong, a Chinese graduate student at Duke University pursuing a Ph.D. degree in physics. As a rocket scientist, Xing’s passion also lies in writing and interacting with people. He contributes to China.com regularly with his interesting interviews of Presidents in U.S. top universities, Nobel Laureates, business/law school deans and leading academicians. As Xing said, “my biggest discovery after arriving in U.S. was that my first name “Xing” had a nice interpretation of the on-road sign crossing. Indeed, I stand at the cross road of two different cultures and eager to connect Uncle Sam and Red Dragon.” Recently Xing held an exclusive interview with Judy Woodruff, the former CNN news anchor.
About Duke Global Health Institute
The seeds of Duke Global Health can be found in James B. Duke's indenture of 1924 that established Duke University “to develop our resources, increase our wisdom, and promote human happiness.” Following this tradition, in the autumn of 2004, Duke University Health Center Chancellor Victor Dzau and Provost Peter Lange proposed a global health initiative in response to the world crisis of disparities in health care. Scholars from across all campuses at Duke were appointed to a steering committee and began work to develop plans for Duke Global Health, building on the foundations of research, education and service.
About Prof. Michael Merson
Between 1978 and 1995, Dr. Merson served consecutively as Director of three international health programs in the World Health Organization dealing with diarrheal diseases, acute respiratory infections, and HIV/AIDS. His previous research related to the epidemiology of diarrheal diseases, including cholera, in developing countries. His current major research interests are policies related to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in vulnerable and underserved populations in the United States and abroad. He was the Director of Yale's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA), which supports HIV/AIDS prevention and care research and studies of related policy issues. He is also the Principal Investigator of Yale's AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP) in St. Petersburg, Russia, as well as the International Clinical, Operational and Health Services Research and Training Award (ICOHRTA) Program in Pretoria, South Africa. In addition, he directs HIV/AIDS monitoring and evaluation projects in Southern and West Africa, as well as in India. Now he serves as the Director of Duke’s Global Health Institute.
Zong: Prof. Merson, thanks for taking my interview. First question for you, how did you wind up in the health area? Why did you want to get a M.D. degree?
Merson: I have been interested in science and medicine as long as I can remember. One of my grandfathers was a cardiologist and he often talked with me about the joy in helping his patients recover from their illnesses. Later in life, I came to appreciate how illness was greatly affected by social, economic and political factors, which greatly stimulated my interest in prevention and led me to a career in public health.
Zong: You have gained extensive global health experience from your leadership role in world health organization (WHO). In your opinion, what are the most pressing issues in terms of health facing this world and how do we address them?
Merson: We face many pressing global health issues today. These, of course, include AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. But just about everywhere the greatest challenges we will face over the next 20-30 years will be diseases associated with obesity and tobacco use. I am thinking of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and tobacco related cancers. Other important issues include aging, global environmental health, women’s health, and emerging infectious diseases, including avian influenza.
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