Global learning in the time of COVID-19: A reflection on Symposium Plus 2020

As Symposium Plus 2020 has come to an end, now is the perfect time to reflect on the wonderful experiences we have shared. As such, I took some time to put in words my own process of self-reflection.

Going back in time to our Welcome Orientation at McMaster University in September 2019, I vividly remember our faculty emphasizing the fact that we would get out of the Global Health program as much as we were willing to put into it, in terms of time and effort. At the time, myself and many of my peers took the advice to heart and applied it throughout our academic year. The advice we received on that day became even more meaningful with respect to Symposium Plus 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some may say that I took the advice a bit too literally, having signed up for essentially every opportunity I was presented with! However, I am glad that I capitalized on the many exceptional opportunities presented through the symposium.

After attending the abstract presentations sessions, I was thoroughly impressed by the diverse range of research being undertaken by my peers around the globe. I also appreciated the extraordinary opportunity to share my research and received valuable feedback from faculty and fellow students from around the globe. The feedback they provided was based on their unique lived experiences & perspectives and allowed me to consider my research from new angles.

Optional activities, such as the networking event, opened my eyes to the practical utility of an education in global health in today’s world. Notably, the Global Health Simulation allowed us to develop knowledge and skills through a simulated real-world experience that in my opinion accurately emulated, on a smaller scale, the difficult real-world decisions that national governments, policy makers and public health agencies are currently making, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thought-provoking webinars, presented by experts with unique academic backgrounds, allowed us to explore the current pandemic from various perspectives. Furthermore, the system mapping project provided us with the opportunity to study a common issue in collaboration with highly motivated peers and key informants from around the world.

As such, even though we may not have had the chance to meet in person or physically conduct research for our system maps in the field, we have been provided with remarkable opportunities and a whole arsenal of effective tools to support our learning, growth and professional development. I am grateful, as I am sure many of you are, to live in a time where technology, despite travel restrictions and border shutdowns, has made it possible for global collaboration to continue.

While the days may have been long and the time zone differences cumbersome, I looked forward to the unique and incredible opportunities that each new day presented. We leave Symposium Plus 2020 with plenty of new experiences and larger LinkedIn networks. I hope that we allow these virtually established connections to continue long into the future.

Anish Jammu