Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Despite their heavy and growing burden, however, NCDs remain under-appreciated issues in health agenda, attracting less than 2% of all global health funding.

In this article in the Journal of Global Health Perspectives, Dr. Luke Allen of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Population Health explores why NCDs gain so little attention from the global health community and raises discussion about making progress toward bridging this financing-burden gap.

This September, I am approaching my one year anniversary with the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network. So, as is customary with these kinds of things, I’ve decided to reflect a bit on my time with the organization.  

The United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines released their landmark report to address the tensions between public health, international human rights law, trade rules, and the justifiable rights of inventors in the context of health technologies.