How much does the University of Minnesota help the health of the global poor?
A new report card has recently appeared that measures how well universities' labs and health programs benefit the world's poor. It measures, among other things, how much they research global diseases neglected by market-driven medicine, and how much access poor countries get to their results.
Few universities have done well; the University of British Columbia was the only school in the A range, having received an A-. Only five were in the B range.
The University of Minnesota earned a D, but its peers got only a C or lower. The U ranked 50th, apparently out of 60 -- though only 54 are listed in the ranking.
The University Global Health Impact Report Card was produced by Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), an international nonprofit student organization.
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Here's its summary of the key factors behind the report card:
To provide a comprehensive overview of the global health impact of leading universities, the Report Card measures 14 key performance indicators in three general categories:
INNOVATION:
How well are universities filling the research gap that exists for neglected global diseases that receive comparatively little private investment?
ACCESS:
How well are universities ensuring that their biomedical discoveries are disseminated in an equitable and socially responsible manner?
EMPOWERMENT:
How well are universities preparing the next generation of global health leaders to respond to the access and innovation crises, and to what extent are they engaging in global partnerships that will empower global health leaders in developing countries?