About Us

The Global Health Catalyst (GHC) is a cross-institutional not-for-profit initiative transforming the landscape of global health, especially in cancer and non-communicable diseases. The GHC summits provide a world leading platform for catalyzing high impact win-win collaborations for global health and development. The success of the GHC summits, which started at Harvard in 2015, with seed funding from Harvard Institutions has resulted in more funding from the USA government and other stakeholders to grow the initiative accross different institutions and resulting in major high-impact CORE (Care, Outreach/Advocacy, Research, Education) collaborative initiatives. The GHC has been uniquely outstanding in contributing/shaping global oncology policy, capacity building via the award-winning Global Oncology University, leveraging cutting-edge technology to overcome distance/cost/infrastructure barriers, Diaspora Engagement (Mobilizing global communities and faith-based networks often excluded from traditional health initiatives), and Whole-Person Health. Given the global participation and collaborations involved with the GHC, the content expressed on this website does not reflect the views of any institution or those providing support or funding.

Our Vision

Global Health Catalyst is all about catalyzing win-win collaborations to eliminate health disparities and advance development in the USA and globally

We have a dream that one day cancer will be eradicated, and that people of all socio-economic, racial, religious, and cultural backgrounds will have access to quality health care.

Our Story

Global Health Catalyst (GHC) summits are premier events dedicated to catalyzing high impact international collaborations and initiatives to eliminate health disparities in the USA and globally. The main focus of the summits is to catalyze collaborations to address the rising scourge of non-communicable diseases like cancer, mental health, pain and cardiovascular diseases which are severely impacting global health and economic development.

Since 2015, the yearly summits have led to numerous win-win collaborations including the launch of major collaboration initiatives like: the comprehensive cancer center in the cloud (C4) powered by artificial intelligence, Global Oncology University, and the International Phytomedicines Institute collaboration initiatives.

The first summits were organized at Harvard, Europe and African Institutions. The success of the GHC summits have resulted in funding support to grow organization of the summits at different top USA institutions and partners in low-and-middle-income countries to catalyze win-win collaborations benefiting both high income and low income countries. Given the global participation and collaborations involved with the GHC summits, the content expressed on this website does not reflect the views of any institution or those providing funding such as the National Cancer Institute. Join us at one of the upcoming summits for win-win collaborations for global health and development

Join us at one of the summits

Join us for the
Global Health Catalyst HOPE+ Summit 2025
September 19–21, 2025 | Harvard–MIT & Online
Theme: Win-Win Collaborations. Implementing the World’s First AI-Powered Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Cloud (C4)

What to Expect:

High impact win-win collaborations; the summits are unique in that way, that everyone can collaborate; it does not matter your background
Innovative financing approaches and support for the Global Cancer Fund
Powerful transformative highly educational TED-style keynotes by global health leaders and innovators
Implementation of the worlds first AI-powered Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Cloud (C4), which can be accessed from anywhere in the world
C4-powered collaborations panels on cancer prevention, imaging/diagnosis, radiotherapy, medical/surgical oncology, palliative and whole person healthcare
C4 Whole Person Healthcare Kiosks for community/faith-based organizations
Interactive youth-led sessions showcasing innovation and grassroots action
Special outreach evenings featuring diaspora and faith-based engagement
Collaborative exhibit space for partnerships, demos,
Preview of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on NCDs
Networking with the very best in global oncology/health
And more collaborations including with the Global Oncology University partnerships with other universities and medical centers around the world

GHC summit Chairs/Organizing

Some of the Chairs/Moderators of the GHC summits include the following: (subject to change/updates)

Prof David Collingridge

Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet Oncology.

Prof Cesaltina Ferreira Lorenzoni

President-elect of the African Organization for research and Training in Cancer

Dr Lydia Asana

Director of GHC Young Catalysts, Faculty, University of South Florida

Prof Thomas Bortfeld

MGH, Harvard Medical School

Prof Saiful Huq

UPMC, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; GHC Director UPMC

Prof Hedi Hricak

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; GHC Director MSKCC

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Prof Stephen Avery

University of Pennsylvania

GHC Director and PI. UPenn

Dr Yan Susu

MGH. Harvard Medical School

Dr Lydia Asana

University of South Florida

Prof David Kerr

University of Oxford, Co-Founder, GHC's Global Oncology University

Prof. Ahmed Elzawawy,

Suez Canal University, Egypt; Co-Founder and Chair of GHC's Global Oncology University

Prof Twalib Ngoma

Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences; Co-Founder, Global Oncology University

Dr Catharine Young

Global Cancer Fund Lead

Dr Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu

President-elect Union for International Cancer Control

Prof. Kenneth Ngwa

Director of Religion and Global Health Forum. Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary;

Jochen Kirsch

Executive Director at Mission 21

Dr Beatrice Addai Wiafe

Chief Executive Officer at Peace and Love Hospitals
Ghana

Dr William Swanson

Emory University School of Medicine

Oscar Nebangwa

GHC Diaspora Coordinator

Jennifer Dent

President, Bio Ventures for Global Health

Prof Bashkim Ziberi

GHC Director, East Europe.

Professor, University of Tetova

Chris Muflam

GHC Finance Strategist. Director Innovative Global Health Fianancing

Dr Kamal Uddin

Associate Professor (CC) at National Institute of ENT
Bangladesh

Vivian Birchall

CEO Healthcare Blindspots. GHC Director for Media and Communications.

Prof Akila Viswanathan

Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins University

Prof Erno Sajo

Director of Medical Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Dr William Swanson

Assistant Professor, Emory University

Prof Wil Ngwa

Founding Director and PI of the Global Health Catalyst

CORE (Care, Outreach, Research, Education) Opportunities for everyone

Opportunities are open to all including healthcare professionals, religion/faith-based organization and whole person health professionals. Consistent with the outcomes of the first GHC summit at Harvard in 2015, these opportunities leverage advanced information and communication technologies including AI, with a focus on addressing disparities

Care

Learn More

Everyone can participate in outreach with different stakeholders, governments, industry, diaspora community/faith-based organizations, students, advocates/celebrities, cancer patients, etc The GHC provides outreach opportunities for collaboration, cancer awareness, prevention, policy, development, addressing other diseases, etc

Outreach

Opportunities for collaborative research, inculde in multi-center clinical trials, implementation research, artificial intelligence, low-cost technologies and approaches for cancer control, and co-mentored research supported by collaborative (micro)grants for publications, Masters and PhD research opportunities etc.

Research

Opportunities to teach or receive education and training via the award-winning Global Oncology University (GO-U) which has been one of the high-impact outcomes from the GHC summits for collaborative education. Whether you are a student, professional, or retired, all can participate or benefit from the opportunities via GO-U

Education