18 Oct 2010

Web-site launched!

My first challenge from a work-perspective here has been to get the web-site live for Global Health Dialogue. The web-site is the vehicle for my Dad’s vision to spread good practice in community health around through a network of experts, local practitioners and community groups. I'm pleased to say that he was able to announce the launch while in South Africa to speak at a global conference on medical education standards. He has been working as an adviser to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on quality control for medical teaching around the continent and took the opportunity to introduce the web-site at the conference.

It has been quite an experience working with Dad and his team and some local young web designers to develop the functionality and manage the content we already have so that we are ready to start building the network. The site http://www.globalhealthdialogue.org/ is now live despite the difficulties of working with limited band-width connections, power cuts and ageing technology.

Some things are true everywhere though and I arrived to find a gap between the technology people who know little about health and the health people who know little about technology and web-sites. The plan was therefore to insert me (who knows little about health or technology!) to bridge the gap. The site is far from perfect but I think its a good start. Have a look and see what you think! The more difficult job of actually running a network and building a dialogue which can influence health outcomes on the ground begins now.

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