By: Al Muktadir Munam, MSc Student, CH&E and Outreach Assistant, Office of Community Engagement
The 2025 Canadian Conference on Global Health (CCGH) kicked off in Halifax with a wave of optimism and energy. From the very first session, it was clear that this year’s theme, “Navigating the path forward: Advancing global health in a changing world,” was more than a slogan. It was a genuine call for action and reflection.
A group of participants during the Networking Match and Mingle session.
The Students and Emerging Professionals (SEP) Day took place at Dalhousie University and was filled with enthusiasm, ideas, and inspiration. The day started with the Plenary Panel: Trends in Global Health, where speakers discussed what it truly means to make health accessible for everyone. They talked about the importance of equity, digital health technologies, and the “five A’s” of access: affordability, accessibility, availability, acceptability, and awareness. Real-world examples from Uganda, Rwanda, and Palestine made the discussions even more powerful, reminding us that global health must always be grounded in local context and community engagement.
Next came the Networking Match & Mingle, one of my favorite parts of the day. I was paired with Prof. Charles Tushabomwe Kazooba from Uganda, whose life journey and experiences gave me a lot to think about. His message about following passion rather than chasing titles really stayed with me. He said something that I won’t forget:
If you love what you do, you’ll never feel stuck. Your passion will keep you moving, even through uncertainty.
We also reflected on where we want to be in ten years. At one point, our group ended up talking about AI in global health. We talked about its potential to solve persistent health system challenges, but also the need to ensure ethics, equity, and empathy guide its use.
The atmosphere throughout the day was lively and open. Whether it was during the career development workshop “Getting Hired in Global Health: Resume and Job Search Essentials,” the “Walk & Talk: Pathways to Connections,” or the creative “Vaccinating the Future” Workathon, everyone seemed eager to learn from each other. The day wrapped up with the Global Health Quiz, which brought some laughter and friendly competition, closing the SEP program on a fun and uplifting note.
I left the day feeling genuinely motivated and hopeful.
The energy in the room reminded me why I chose to work in health, to be part of something larger than myself. Hearing about others’ journeys made me rethink how I can align my own research and career goals with real-world impact.
Meeting people like Charles, and others from different countries and disciplines, showed me that global health is not just a field of study, it’s a shared movement built on empathy and connection. After this experience, I want to stay more actively involved in mentorship and interdisciplinary collaboration, especially where digital health and community-based approaches meet. I also want to explore how AI and data innovation can be made more inclusive and context-specific, particularly for low-resource settings. SEP Day was more than just a networking event, it was a reminder that every conversation, idea, and connection can spark long-term change.