In early April, Associate Professor Quinn Grundy attended the first-ever Global Forum of World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centres in Lyon, France. Within an increasingly precarious global landscape, Directors of WHO Collaborating Centres from over 80 countries convened to find new ways to strategically collaborate to address some of the biggest public health challenges.
Nursing Leadership at Global WHO Forum
Grundy is the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Governance, Transparency, and Accountability in the Pharmaceutical Sector housed within the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. As a nurse and researcher Grundy explores the interactions between the medically-related industry, including pharmaceutical, medical device, and health technology companies, and public health systems, and the implications for sustainable, affordable, and equitable access to care.
“It was an incredible opportunity to take part in the first ever Global Forum. It was energizing to witness the support for WHO, and the commitment to a strong, coordinated, evidence-led, and multi-lateral approach to tackling our shared and pressing public health issues,” says Grundy who is also the Associate Director of the Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care at the University of Toronto.
The WHO has identified the Collaborating Centres as a strategic asset and Grundy says there is a unique opportunity for cross-collaboration across professions, disciplines, and areas of expertise, including within the University of Toronto, which hosts 5 WHO Collaborating Centres.
Advancing Equitable and Accountable Pharmaceutical Policy
The Collaborating Centres are integral in an increasingly interconnected world, where health and environmental threats can have far reaching consequences. According to the WHO these Centres provide support for innovation, collaborative research, and capacity building that can drive solution-focused work that saves lives.
The Collaborating Centre Grundy leads is committed to conducting research and analysis on critical issues related to governance in the public interest and accountability within the pharmaceutical sector. It is part of a global network of WHO Collaborating Centres that are leading impactful, policy-oriented research and education on affordable access to essential medicines.
“Our work as part of this Centre is relevant and necessary to ensure trustworthy, equitable, and sustainable public health policy,” says Grundy. “It is critical for nurses to be leading on these strategic public health efforts and it was a privilege to spotlight nursing leadership of WHO Collaborating Centres.”