Decolonizing Global Child Health Education for More Equitable and Culturally Safe Collaborations

Abstract

Global health (GH) as an academic field is fraught with both historical and present systemic injustice, including unilateral partnerships, power asymmetry in grant funding and research agenda setting, lack of acknowledgment of low- and middle-income countries' contributions, and bias toward high-income countries' institutions. Reflecting on colonialism and White supremacy's legacy is vital for training pediatricians to actively work to create more bidirectional partnerships to improve the health of all children worldwide. In this review, we discuss the present challenges within academic GH and offer four key action steps to decolonize GH education: (1) reflecting on the history of global child health; (2) creating a new language framework; (3) reviewing cultural humility, antiracism, and decolonization curricula; and (4) discussing institutional action steps to decolonize and sustain culturally safe global child health education. [Pediatr Ann. 2023;52(12):e467-e473.].