Thomas Hall Scholarship opportunities recognize rising leaders in global health who are dedicated to health equity, recognizes the power of education and capacity building, and is bold in the desire to challenge the status quo.
This scholarship is made available by Dr. Thomas Hall, a leader in global health issues that spent much of his life committed to improving the health of low-resource countries. Over the past 60 years, Hall both provided medical care to these areas and helped strengthen their health systems, applying best practices from around the world.
Dr. Thomas Hall had seven “health‑related careers,” most of them on the faculty of six universities. One was in clinical medicine, five in public health, and twenty years promoting, facilitating and developing educational resources useful in global health education. Dr. Hall coyly remarked, “of the five public health careers only one has been a success in that we have not yet had a nuclear war.” His main four jobs could be summarized as working to: contain health care costs in the US ; slow the world’s population growth rate; slow the HIV epidemic and to introduce a measure of rationality into health workforce planning. Some of these activities overlap substantially, adding up to almost 100 years of effort which, when added to the 26 years leading up to graduation from medical school total perhaps 124 years of age, or at least service!
Through all of Dr. Hall’s careers, he held fast to his commitment to the importance of enhancing the student voice and a passion for mentorship. Dr. Hall was a leader in the Global Health Education Consortium, which merged with the current day Consortium of Universities for Global Health. Many leaders in global health education attribute their success and guidance to Dr. Hall.
“Many people in resource-rich areas think they know all they need to know and resist considering or adopting practices used in other countries…but we can learn as much from them as much as they can learn from us.” -Dr. Thomas Hall
