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On November 25, 2014, His Excellency James Lambert, Ambassador of Canada to the Netherlands, will visit McMaster to meet for the first time with faculty and students involved in the MSc in Global Health program. The visit is part of a larger initiative focused on creating innovative partnerships and strengthening bilateral relations between Canada and the Netherlands.

 

 

In 2010, while McMaster University in Canada and Maastricht University in the Netherlands joined forces to launch the unique Master of Science in Global Health program, the Embassies of Canada and the Netherlands were launching a collaborative conference series entitled Design for the Future. The conference series, which profiles game-changing ideas and technologies each year, highlights bilateral innovation through commercialization and collaboration between the two countries.

 

 

The Global Health Program is a key example of an innovative transatlantic partnership. The 12-month transdisciplinary MSc tackles emerging global health challenges and prepares the next generation of professionals for the global workforce. Its delivery is unique and immersive – using the latest technology platforms, scholars around the world deliver lectures which are broadcast to students in McMaster, Maastricht and Manipal.

 

 

Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, who has ties to Canada and the Netherlands, serves as Honorary Chair of the program’s international Advisory Board.

 

Recently, the Global Health Office hosted the annual Advisory Board meeting, which welcomed members from across the globe, including special guest His Excellency Cees Kole, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

 

Following the meeting, Ambassador Kole attended the Innovation Round Table in The Hague, hosted by The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, where the MSc Global Health was hailed as a leading example of the kind of transatlantic synergies that can be developed between two like-minded countries. Also in attendance was Ambassador Lambert, who has already established strong relationships with Maastricht faculty involved in the MSc in Global Health.

 

 

Ambassador Lambert now plans to visit the McMaster component of the Global Health program. He will attend meetings with McMaster’s Director in Global Health, Dr. Andrea Baumann, and Academic Coordinator Dr. Christy Gombay, as well as Dr. Luis Barreto, Global Health Advisory Board member and special advisor of the vaccine program to the Government of Canada.

 

In addition, Ambassador Lambert will meet with university dignitaries including President Patrick Deane, Dr. John Kelton, Dean and Vice President of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Dr. Peter Mascher, Associate Vice-President of International Affairs. Faculty from engineering will also meet with His Excellency, as engineering faculties at McMaster and Maastricht universities have just recently joined in partnership.