Center for Global Management

The CGM sponsored the fifth annual Los Angeles Global Health Conference (LAGHC) at UCLA’s Covel Commons. “2020 and Beyond: Spotlight on a Shared Future” brought together around 300 people from various disciplines across academia, NGOs, business and the public sector to discuss the current status of world health and provided an interactive educational forum to address innovative ways to tackle health disparities — both locally and globally. The opening keynote address, “How Do You Eat an Elephant? Learning Lessons for a Shared Global Health Agenda,” was delivered by Elizabeth Anne Bukasi, MBCHB, M. MED, MPH, Ph.D., PGD, MBE, chief research officer of Kenya Medical Research Institute. The day also included numerous breakout sessions that explored topics such as global crises: epidemics, disasters and threats; innovation in global health: film and technology; vulnerable populations: migrant and refugee health; and gender equality and sexual and reproductive care.

Spencer Feliciano-Lyons and Connie Jiang (far right) from the full-time MBA Class of 2020 presented in a breakout session on “Bridging the Digital Divide in Sweetwaters, South Africa.” They discussed elements of their CGM supported AMR field study project with the Human Sciences Research Council, in which they were tasked with identifying a viable long-term solution to increase affordable data access to the impoverished rural community of Sweetwaters in South Africa that would in turn help to better understand barriers to entry of mHealth applications. The presentation addressed the digital divide, focused on the implications of the divide on human and social development, and demonstrated how business school students approach issues of global health. The LAGHC was organized by students from medicine, public health and other disciplines from universities across the region, including the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Fielding School of Public Health, undergraduate departments and the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health, among others. The CGM was a silver sponsor.

UCLA hosted a symposium that focused on Chinese and Indian immigrant entrepreneurship in a global era and brought together students, academics and entrepreneurs. Through inter-center, interdisciplinary collaboration and comparative case studies of the two largest immigrant groups in the United States ― Chinese and Indian people — the symposium examined the changing nature of immigrant entrepreneurship in the context of globalization. How do social networks among the Indian and Chinese diasporas shape the formation of entrepreneurial cultures? Conversely, how do entrepreneurial activities shape the formation of diasporic communities and networks? The symposium reviewed the global and local forces that have transformed how immigrants start and run their own business, the importance of local and transnational networks in business and how entrepreneurs and scholars understand the phenomenon. The symposium was co-organized by the UCLA Asia Pacific Center and Center for India and South Asia. The CGM was a sponsor of the event.

The CGM sponsored the fourth annual Los Angeles Global Health Conference at UCLA’s Carnesale Commons. “Transcending Borders and Transforming Paradigms: Shaping a Future That Unites Us” brought together around 400 people from various disciplines across academia, NGOs, business and the public sector to discuss the current status of world health, providing an interactive educational forum that addressed innovative ways to tackle health disparities — locally and globally. The opening keynote address, “Women in Global Health Leadership: The Hard Facts While Debunking Some Myths,” was delivered by Michele Barry, M.D., FACP, FASTMH, professor of medicine and tropical diseases at Stanford University. The closing keynote, “Global Health: Keep the Vision Alive” was delivered by Haile T. Debas, M.D., FACS, who is internationally recognized for his contributions to academic medicine and widely consulted on issues associated with global health. The day also included numerous breakout sessions that explored topics such as: immigration, displacement and vulnerable populations; planetary health and disaster relief; innovation, change and priority setting; and health along the continuum. The LAGHC is a student-led project of the Global Health Interest group at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. The UCLA Center for World Health and USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Heath also hosted the conference, which was sponsored by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA International Institute and the CGM.

The 23rd annual UCLA Health Care Symposium, whose 2019 theme was “Immigration and Health Care: Status, Access and Bridging the Disparity,” explored the relationship between immigration and the health care system, and addressed how social justice is a means to improving access to health care among immigrants in the United States. The symposium brought together students, physicians, administrators, public health leaders and members of the local community. It helped to increase awareness of immigration as a public health issue and encouraged discussion on working together to end barriers to health care access and finding solutions to the health care disparities. The symposium is an expression of interest and excitement on the part of UCLA medical students ― who believe that students of all levels can be valuable contributors to the conversations that are reshaping our health care system and, consequently, our health. The CGM was a sponsor of the symposium, together with various cross-campus units such as UCLA Health, the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, the Fielding School of Public Health and the UCLA International Institute.

UCLA hosted the inaugural international and interdisciplinary conference, “Water in the Middle East and Africa: A Nexus of Cooperation and Conflict.” The event brought together scholars and practitioners to address one of the most critical challenges of our time: water security. It was organized around three broad topics — food security, health and environment, and the geopolitics of water — with an understanding that these issues overlap and intersect. Speakers contributed a breadth of expertise and perspectives, from the vantages of engineering, earth system science, urban planning, public health, law, international relations and conflict resolution. The conference was open to students and scholars, professionals from industry and nonprofit organizations, government officials, and members of the general public interested in enriching their knowledge of the issues surrounding water scarcity and the innovative technology and policy solutions that will help to ensure a water-secure future. The keynote address on “Climate Change, Oceans and Human Health” was delivered by Distinguished University Professor Rita Colwell, whose interests at the University of Maryland College Park and as an adjunct professor at John Hopkins University are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health. The conference was organized by a variety of cross-campus partners, led by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israeli Studies. Partners included the Center for Global Management, UCLA Africa Studies Center, UCLA Center for the Study of International Migration, UCLA Center for Middle East Development, UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Luskin Center for Innovation, as well as the UCLA Water Resources Group and the UCLA Water Technology Research Center.

Christian Dippel, assistant professor of economics and past recipient of numerous CGM global research and course development awards, organized a two-day academic conference at UCLA Anderson on “Populism’s New Wave: Comparative and Historical Perspectives.” The conference showcased cutting-edge research on populism and included a historical angle, too. Around 40 researchers from many UC campuses, as well as Stanford and some international institutions, gathered together at UCLA to present and discuss their research. The conference was co-sponsored by the Center for Global Management and the All-University of California Group in Economic History. Dippel also presented his research on “Does Civic Leadership Matter? Evidence from the Forty-Eighters in the U.S.” with Professor Stephan Heblich from Bristol University, U.K. Romain Wacziarg, professor of economics and Hans Hufschmid Chair in Management, and Singapore Management University’s Professor Klaus Desmet also presented their research on “The Cultural Divide.” UCLA Anderson students interested in global management were invited to join the two sessions. The conference is a demonstration of UCLA Anderson’s strong commitment to studying and teaching issues of global economic relevance and demonstrated the academic excellence of UCLA’s vibrant group of academic economists. UCLA Anderson Review, launched in 2017 as a window into cutting-edge work by the expert faculty who are drawn to the school from around the globe, has published award-winning journalists’ articles about the CGM-supported research by Dippel and Wacziarg.