Decolonising Global Health event, 26 March 2026
On Thursday 26 March, the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences (NDPCHS) hosted a reflective and forward-looking event to celebrate the culmination of the 12-part Decolonising Global Health blog series. Bringing together contributors, students and researchers, the event created space to revisit key themes from the series, amplify diverse perspectives and explore how conversations sparked through the blogs can translate into meaningful action.
The event marked a milestone moment for the blog series, which ran monthly throughout 2025. Designed as a multi-session dialogue, the programme combined structured discussion with open reflection, encouraging participants to critically engage with the ideas and tensions at the heart of decolonising global health.
Opening the event, series curator Corina Cheeks welcomed attendees and acknowledged the many contributors who had shaped the blog series over the past year. She reflected on its evolution as both a platform for storytelling and a catalyst for broader departmental engagement, highlighting its role in connecting voices across disciplines, geographies and lived experiences. Corina also recognised the pivotal role of Dr Maju Brunette, a recent alumna of the MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership programme, in initiating the series and helping to shape its direction through her contributions and networks.
Session One: From Single Stories to Multiple Truths
The first session was a conversation with Dr Maju Brunette, moderated by Dr Davide Bilardi and Dr Gugulethu (Gugu) Moyo. Together, they explored foundational concepts underpinning the series, beginning with reflections on the complexity of ‘decolonising’ as both a term and a practice.
A recurring theme was the need to confront power dynamics within global health. Davide highlighted the importance of storytelling in shifting perspectives, with reflections on how personal narratives – like his own shared in the May edition of the Decolonising Global Health series – can challenge dominant paradigms and encourage deeper self-examination. Maju noted that even engaging with academic discourse, such as reading and contributing to the blog series, reflects a position of privilege. At the same time, the series was recognised as a tool for widening participation, supporting student engagement, informing academic work and fostering connections across networks.
Another theme of the session was the value of incremental change. While structural transformation can feel daunting, small, sustained actions were framed as essential building blocks toward more radical, systemic shifts. The blog series itself was described as a starting point - ‘step one’ - with an emphasis on continuing the conversation in new and evolving formats.
Session Two: Indigenising vs Decolonising: Pathways to Transformation
The second session focused on how knowledge is produced, valued and applied in global health. The session was chaired by MSc in Translational Health Sciences alumna Sarah Alkandari and featured Dr Sridhar Venkatapuram, with moderation from Dr Gugu Moyo and Dr Davide Bilardi. The discussion drew on themes explored in the MSc in Translational Health Sciences, particularly the global health module that inspired Sarah’s contributions to the blog series.
Speakers deliberated on who defines what counts as knowledge in global health and whose voices are prioritised in setting research agendas. Discussions highlighted persistent imbalances, with examples such as climate change illustrating how lived realities in low- and middle-income countries are often sidelined in favour of perspectives from high-income academic institutions.
Sarah Alkandari, series contributor and current DPhil in Translational Health Sciences student, emphasised that meaningful inclusion requires more than representation. It involves recognising when voices are dismissed and actively creating space for different perspectives to shape discussions and decisions. Panellists also stressed that decolonising global health is not about replacing one set of perspectives with another, but about engaging critically with diverse forms of knowledge and experience.
The conversation underscored the importance of discomfort as part of the process. Decolonising global health was described as inherently challenging and context-dependent, requiring openness to disagreement, reflexivity and sustained engagement with communities. Blogs were highlighted as one accessible entry point, leveraging institutional platforms to elevate diverse perspectives and initiate dialogue.
Session Three: Health Justice in Times of Crisis
The final session, chaired by Dr Maju Brunette and moderated by Dr Gugu Moyo brought together a range of perspectives from Debbie ‘Dada’ Dada, Dr Nick Maynard, Dr Yara Asi and Dr Aneeza Pervez. Opening with a quote from Frank Barat, ‘We do not become activists; we simply forget that we are,’ Maju led the discussion which explored the intersections of health, conflict and structural violence.
Dr Maju Brunette delivers a thoughtful presentation on her experiences of her tuberculosis work in Peru.
Using images and personal reflections, panellists examined how crises are experienced and represented, with particular attention to Palestine as a lens through which to understand health justice in contexts of ongoing conflict. The discussion connected to themes explored in the blog series, including the joint piece by Maju Brunette and Nick Maynard on health justice in times of moral crisis.
The group reflected on the risks of reducing complex situations to simplified or decontextualised narratives, reinforcing the importance of situating health within its broader political and historical context. One speaker emphasised the need for critical consciousness – examining systems of structural violence and questioning who benefits from them. Another highlighted how dominant narratives can obscure lived realities and interconnected histories.
The panel also explored the responsibilities that come with power and privilege. Nick Maynard shared examples of using his position to create access and amplify underrepresented voices, while others reflected on the importance of accountability within systems and institutions.
Looking ahead: ideas for meaningful change
The event concluded with closing reflections from Corina and Maju that reiterated a central message of the blog series: there is no single narrative in global health. Instead, progress depends on empowering communities, embracing diverse perspectives and remaining attentive to whose voices are heard – and whose are not.
Networking followed in the Life and Mind Building, allowing participants to continue conversations and build connections across disciplines and experiences. Many reflected on the event as both a celebration and a call to action, reinforcing the importance of sustaining momentum beyond the series.
As the department looks ahead, the Decolonising Global Health blog series stands as a foundation for future action. The conversations it has sparked within Oxford and beyond continue to challenge assumptions, expand perspectives and shape more equitable approaches to global health research and practice.
A sincere thank you to all contributors to the March event and the 2025 blog series.