Global Health Security and Diplomacy in the Age of Coronavirus

The Georgetown University Global Health Initiative will host a virtual discussion on “Global Health Security and Diplomacy in the Age of Coronavirus – A Conversation with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins” on March 16, 2021.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, the need to effectively and efficiently prevent, detect, and respond to emerging infectious diseases and other chemical and biological threats is paramount. For global health authorities around the world, challenges lie in promoting a collaborative and coordinated approach when implementing global health security programs. With Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, the class will discuss a range of topics including her experience as a leader and a woman of color in the field of global health security, the U.S. State Department’s role in global health, the implementation of the Global Health Security Agenda, and the challenges of biological, chemical, and nuclear threats the international community faces in the future.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins has been nominated to be undersecretary of state for arms control and international security affairs under President Joe Biden. She also is an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Georgetown Law; the founder and executive director of the Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation; and chair of the Committee on Radioactive Sources: Applications and Alternative Technologies of the National Academies of Sciences. Previously, she served as coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs under President Barack Obama and was part of the U.S. government interagency team that launched the Global Health Security Agenda.

John Monahan is the senior advisor for global health to President John J. DeGioia; senior fellow, McCourt School of Public Policy; and senior scholar, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.