World Health Day 2026: Global Health at a Crossroads

Hybrid

As the United States steps back from decades of global health leadership, Dean Karlan, Margaret Kruk, and Zaher Sahloul examine what's at stake and who fills the void.

Person standing at the doorway of a mobile clinic

Apr

Themba Hadebe / AP

Speakers

Dean Karlan
Margaret Kruk
Zaher Sahloul

Date and Time

Apr 8: 5:30 - 6:30 pm CDT

Doors Open: 5:15 pm

Location

Chicago Council Conference Center, 130 E Randolph Street; or via YouTube

Who Can Attend

For All

REGISTRATION

This event is open to the public.

About This Event

For decades, the United States set global standards, financed research, and coordinated responses to global health threats, anchoring a system of international health cooperation. As the US steps back by cutting foreign aid, withdrawing from the WHO, and scaling back global health programs, that system is in question. Which countries and institutions are stepping up to fill the void, and which populations are being left behind? What do these shifts mean for our collective ability to respond when the next crisis hits? In recognition of World Health Day, join us for a conversation with Dean Karlan and Margaret Kruk, moderated by Zaher Sahloul, on US disengagement from global public health and how the world is adapting.

A reception will follow the program.

This program is presented jointly by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the University of Chicago's Susan and Richard Kiphart Center for Global Health & Social Development.

About the Speakers

Dean Karlan

Frederic Esser Nemmers Distinguished Professor of Economics and Finance; Co-Director, Global Poverty Research Lab, Northwestern University

Dean Karlan is the Frederic Esser Nemmers Distinguished Professor of Economics and Finance at Northwestern University and the founder and former president of Innovations for Poverty Action, a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting solutions to global poverty problems. Previously, he was the chief economist at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2022 until 2025.

Margaret Kruk

Distinguished Endowed Professor, Health Systems & Medicine and University Wide QuEST Center Director, WashU Medicine

Margaret Kruk is distinguished professor of health systems and medicine at WashU Medicine, where she studies how health systems can improve health and generate trust. Working with colleagues around the world, she develops measures of health system quality and uses implementation science and econometric methods to examine their effects on population confidence and design large-scale health system reforms.

Zaher Sahloul

President, MedGlobal

Zaher Sahloul is the president of MedGlobal, a nonprofit organization that delivers crucial healthcare to populations affected by crisis and poverty worldwide. A physician dedicated to providing medical and humanitarian aid to those in need, Dr. Sahloul has led medical missions to Syria, Ukraine, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Gaza, Yemen, and Bangladesh.

Opening Remarks

Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade

Walter L. Palmer Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics; Associate Dean, Global Health, University of Chicago

Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade is the Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics, associate dean for Global Health, and director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health at the University of Chicago. She develops innovative strategies for comprehensive cancer risk assessment and prevention. Dr. Olopade has served on the Council's board since 2019.

Leslie Vinjamuri

President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She is Professor of Practice in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.

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