IVLP Highlight: Strategies to Strengthen Health Security | Egypt

The visitors began their visit to the San Francisco Bay Area with a day of meetings at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Institute for Global Health Sciences (IGHS). They were welcomed with a selection of pastries from Boudin Bakery — a historic San Francisco institution — as they met with IGHS leadership to discuss the Institute’s global health security portfolio, including the Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (CPPR) and the Center for Global Health Delivery, Diplomacy and Economics (CGHDDE), among others.

At a subsequent meeting with CGHDDE, the visitors engaged in a lively conversation on recent developments in U.S. policy and strategy in global health security and health diplomacy, covering topics such as Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) and infectious disease monitoring. They also reflected on Egypt’s outstanding progress combating communicable diseases, as Egypt recently became the first country to achieve the World Health Organization (WHO) validation on the path to eliminate Hepatitis C.

In the afternoon, the visitors had the opportunity to give a presentation to their local professional counterparts at UCSF on Egypt’s experience in health security initiatives, including developing a National One Health Strategy and lessons learned for One Health Implementation.

“It is clear that Egypt places a strong emphasis on community and collaboration. This commitment was evident in several aspects of their presentation — from amongst the visitors themselves as they uplifted and held space for each other during their remarks, to their work across ministries in Egypt and with various international partners. Notably, their work with migrants and refugees is characterized by respectful and supportive language, referring to them as ‘guests.’ Highly commendable.”

— Alannah Crandall, Senior Manager of International Programs, Global Ties San Francisco

Toward the end of the day, our group was thrilled to visit the Chan Zuckerburg (CZ) Biohub for a tour of its laboratory facilities, where they explored advancements in metagenomics and molecular surveillance. The visitors also met with the Rapid Response team, which plans and implements activities to strengthen global emergency response efforts to epidemics.

A standout part of the tour was CZ Biohub’s remarkable homemade microscopes, which allowed the visitors to observe the development of fly larvae cells. The experience was so impactful that many of the international guests expressed a desire to collaborate with CZ Biohub in the future. This visit underscored the power of people-to-people diplomacy in driving scientific innovation and collaboration.

The visitors enjoyed a vibrant weekend in San Francisco, experiencing some of the City’s highlights. They took a cruise around the Bay and explored Chinatown, gaining a delightful taste of what the City has to offer. On Sunday evening, Global Ties San Francisco organized a Home Hospitality dinner with the students and professors from the Westmont in San Francisco program. The evening was a success, with guests and hosts enjoying a meal together, engaging in lively conversations, and playing fun games.

If you or someone you know is interested in hosting similar relationship-building dinner diplomacy events, please reach out to the Global Ties San Francisco team. We are actively looking to expand our pool of hosts!

Early Monday morning, the group traveled to San Leandro for a meeting with the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention (DCDCP). During this session, the Department and visitors exchanged insights and best practices for preventing and combating communicable diseases and discussed DCDCP’s role in safeguarding public health.

At lunchtime, the visitors explored the iconic San Francisco Ferry Building, sampling various offerings from the food stalls and taking photos in front of the Bay Bridge.

The afternoon brought them to their final meeting of their program, held with the City and County of San Francisco, Department of Public Health (SFDPH). There, they examined the community-based SFDPH Newcomers Health Program, which supports the health and well-being of refugees, asylees, and immigrants throughout San Francisco. This meeting was particularly meaningful for one visitor who works in refugee healthcare herself, as it provided valuable insights into how our City welcomes and supports refugee and immigrant populations through its healthcare services.