Global health. The current scenario and future perspectives

23 Definitions of Global Health Since its incorporation and development in academic institutions, various definitions of the field of Global Health have been formulated. Over the past decade, one of the most cited definitions is that of Jeffrey Koplan and colleagues (Koplan et al., 2009), who define Global Health as “an area of study, research and practice that prioritizes the improvement of health and the achievement of health equity for the global population” and emphasize “transnational health issues, their determinants and solutions. It encompasses multiple disciplines within and beyond the health sciences, promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and is a synthesis of population- level prevention with individual healthcare.” The article that proposed this definition made a distinction between Global Health and public health, which was questioned by Lynda Fried and colleagues (Fried et al., 2010), who argue that ““Global Health and Public Health” are indistinguishable. Both emphasize population-level policies as well as approaches to health promotion at an individual level.” It concludes by assuming that “both “address” the causes, roots of poor health through scientific, social, cultural and economic strategies.” On the other hand, Keith Martin, Executive Director of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH), opts for the more concise definition of Global Health as “a discipline that establishes efforts to improve the well-being of the population and the planet” (Cemma, 2017). As can be seen, these definitions primarily come from the Global North, specifically the United Kingdom and the United States. It is interesting to note that at the end of their article, Fried et al. (2010) mention that “Global Health is often perceived as international aid, technologies and interventions flowing from wealthier countries in the Global North to poorer countries in the Global South.” This helps to explain the difference in the vision of academic institutions that are members of the Latin American Alliance for Global Health (Alasag), who define Global Health in the following terms: “The academic institutions that are part of Alasag understand Global Health as a way of seeing and addressing health as a global public good, a matter of social justice and a universal right, which revolves around equity, ethics and respect for human rights” (Solimano & Valdivia, 2014). In this sense, the emerging movement for Global Health, from a Latin American perspective promoted by Alasag, aims to address inequities by leveraging similarities, synergies and common interests among countries in the region. Our Global Health Program at the Dr. Salvador Allende G. School of Public Health, University of Chile, makes its own contribution by stating that “Global Health is understood as a dynamic population health process influenced by determinants that go beyond national borders and become common...”. Specifically, in the academic realm, it is referred to as a