Monika Pohle
Research Memberships Projects Teaching Monika Pohle study programme and section coordination +49 228 287-51520 monika.pohle@ukbonn.de
Dr. Eva Mertens
Research Memberships Virology Epidemiology Biosafety and Biosecurity German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA) Projects Teaching MSc Global Health at University of Bonn Dr. Eva Mertens study programme and section coordination +49 228 287-10317 eva.mertens@ukbonn.de
Research Assistants
About me Tasks Katharina Gries is currently pursuing her second degree which is in Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Bonn. Between 2018-2022 she completed her Bachelor of Arts in English and Social Sciences (Teaching) at the University of Bonn which included studying abroad for one semester in the US, at Kalamazoo College. For her, Global Health is about improving health and health access worldwide as effectively and sustainably as possible. Additionally, one significant part of Global Health for her is working in interdisciplinary teams which is very educational for her. Due to her study background, she is especially interested in food security and the role of nutrition in Global Health in times of crisis and climate change. Katharina Gries Katharina.Gries@ukbonn.de About me Tasks Mila Maria Rick is currently studying Political Science with a minor in Sociology at the University of Leipzig. She started her journey in Medicine before shifting her attention to the political and social dimensions of health, with a focus on how social and economic conditions shape health and healthcare access. For her, Global Health means understanding how these broader determinants impact health outcomes, health decisions and access to care. Through her studies and involvement in health and human rights projects, she has explored topics such as structural inequality, intersectionality, and health justice. She is especially interested in how health systems can become more inclusive and equitable through research and policy. Mila supports the Global Health Academy, an initiative of the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA). She organizes the monthly GLOHRA Academy Series, coordinates the GLOHRA Training Certificate and regularly updates the GLOHRA Training Repository. Mila Rick Global Health Academy About me Tasks Robert Neumann is currently studying medicine at the University Hospital Bonn. Before attending University Bonn, he studied political science in Berlin and Edinburgh. For him, Global Health is the interdisciplinary approach of social and natural sciences that attempts to examine the lack of health from different perspectives in order to improve the access to a healthy life globally in a holistic manner. Of particular interest to him at the moment are emergency and disaster relief, vaccinations, and global oncology. Robert Neumann s4roneum@uni-bonn.de About me Tasks Lina Bartusevicius is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in International Health Sciences at Fulda University of Applied Sciences, she is particularly interested in female health and how global policy changes can drive improvements in women’s health outcomes. For her, Global Health is a multidisciplinary field that combines scientific, social, and political perspectives to address health inequities worldwide. Her focus lies in understanding and shaping the policies that influence access to healthcare, aiming to create lasting change through evidence-based and equitable approaches. Lina supports the Global Health Academy, an initiative of the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA). She assists in planning and implementing training programs hosted by GLOHRA members and initiatives of the Global Health Academy. Lina Bartusevicius Global Health Academy About me Tasks Elena Schweizer is currently pursuing her medical degree at the University of Leipzig. For her, Global Health is about global cooperation and interdisciplinary approaches tackling current challenges to promote universal health coverage as well as striving for a more equitable world. Due to her aspiration to become a gynecologist, she is especially interested in maternal and child health, along with mental well-being and the role of decolonization in Global Health. Elena supports the Global Health Academy, an initiative of the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA). Her main task it to assist in planning and implementation of Training Offers that are hosted by GLOHRA members, as well as initiatives of the Global Health Academy. Elena Schweizer Global Health Academy
Global Surgery
+ News News × 01.08.2025: Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Global Surgery Foundation, Geneva Switzerland and UNITAR/Surghub + Recent Publications Recent Publications × Optimal surgical timing for ear reconstruction with autologous cartilage: Analysis of the computed tomography scan characteristics of the ribs. Asirova G, Wynands J, Frolov S, Almeida D, Davydenko P, Madina S.J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2024 Jan;88:15-23. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2023.10.064. Epub 2023 Oct 17.PMID: 37950987 Improvement of Quality of Life After Microtia Reconstruction Using a Modified Firmin Technique-Case Series of 130 Patients. Asirova GV, Wynands J, Almeida DL.Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2025 Feb 7. doi: 10.1007/s00266-025-04697-z. Online ahead of print.PMID: 39920383 ↓ Projects Global Surgery The incidence of disability due to injury, tumor disease, or congenital anomalies is significant, and there is a shortage of qualified surgeons to perform specialized plastic reconstructive surgery – especially in Africa. Lead Partners Dr. med. Jan Wynands Leader Global Surgery About Me Partners & Cooperations ・Global surgery foundation (here) ・UN Surgery Learning Hub (surghub) ・UN Institute for Training and Research (unitar) ・Ando Modular Aid (here) ・International Red Cross (icrc) ・Ärzte ohne Grenzen (MSF) Universities: ・Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (here) ・University of Cape Town, South Africa (here) ・University of British Columbia, Canada (here) Research Areas Current Studies Treatment of complex soft tissue defects of the lower extremities after high velocity trauma Peripheral nerve injuries in war injuries Implementation of extended reality in resource-poor settings Master’s and doctoral students (Master’s theses field research on war injuries) Curriculum development Surgeons’ Perspectives on the Use of Extended Reality (XR) for Surgical Applications in Low-Resource Settings AI-enhanced 3D Models for Reconstructive Surgery in a Low-income Country Conflict-Related Trauma, Delayed Surgery, and Disability: The Hidden Burden in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region Projects LAMU Hospital – Centre for Reconstructive Surgery and Global Surgery Preview Only + News News × Construction Works of a Seminar Building at LAMU Hospital – Centre for Reconstructive Surgery and Global Surgery, Jinja, Uganda Opening June 2025 + Description Description × + Partner Organisations Partner Organisations × ANDO – modular aid Bulamu Bukondhe Foundation Humanitarian Missions Preview Only + News News × + Description Description × + Partner Organisations Partner Organisations × Coordination of Teaching and Training Activities in Lebanon Preview Only + News News × + Description Description × + Partner Organisations Partner Organisations × Centre of Reconstructive Surgery in Armed Conflicts (CRSAC)
History, Anthropology & Ethics of Health
Prof. Dr. med. Walter Bruchhausen Head Section Global Health About History, Anthropology & Ethics of Global Health A new value basis that emphasizes human rights, equity and respect for sociocultural differences distinguishes Global Health from its many predecessors since the colonial era. Thus, ethics, anthropology and history are indispensable parts of Global Health and stood at the beginnings of this new area and era in Bonn, too. Global Health Ethics Medical Anthropology Global Health History Local Health History + News News × 2025: Invited by the network of Clinical Ethics Committees in NRW and the Bonn Out-patient Ethics Committee Walter Bruchhausen gave two talks on Cross-cultural issues in ethical counselling. 2024: On invitation of the Institute of Christian Social Ethics at Münster University, the section head who had published a working paper and a yearbook chapter on the social ethics of Global Health before gave a seminar for senior students (PhD and master). 2019: The Justitia et Pax Germany working group on ‘Human rights and cultural traditions – reflexions and test case Right to Health’ where the section head was a member published its final report: justitia-et-pax.de/jp/publikationen/pdf/guf_139.pdf + Recent Publications Recent Publications × Bruchhausen W (2024b) Women’s Health, Culture, and Ethics—Anthropological and Socio-Ethical Aspects in Global Health, in: Wacker J, Rothe C, En-Nosse M (ed.), Global Women’s Health. Gynecology and Obstetrics Under Diverse Global Conditions (Berlin: Springer Nature) 79-88. Bruchhausen W (2024) Global Health (Ethics): Eine Bestandsaufnahme in programmatischer Absicht, in: Jahrbuch für Christliche Sozialethik 64, Münster, 73-101. + More Information More Information × Based on his postgraduate studies in Health Care Ethics (University of Glasgow under the supervision of Prof. Robin S. Downie +), relevant areas of moral theology (Prof. Bernhard Fraling/Würzburg + and Gerhard Höver/Bonn) and the ethical workshops for (future) physicians (initiated by Prof. Ludger Honnfelder/Bonn) that became a starting point for the two ethics institutions IWE and DRZE in Bonn, Walter Bruchhausen began teaching in biomedical and clinical ethics at Bonn University in 1997. In cooperation with several partners, this led to a lasting institutionalization of ethics in the medical faculty and the university hospital, both in teaching and counselling. Global Health Ethics Beyond rather individualistic medical ethics, especially the ‘principles of biomedical ethics’ of US origin, designed for high-income clinical and research settings, global health ethics has taken up comprehensive perspectives: more universally oriented approaches like human rights, social ethics and equity, but also more context-sensitive ones like care ethics, communitarian, Neo-Aristotelian or virtue ethics ‘of the good’ and various faith-based ethics. Partners Institutions Collaborations: Prof. Marianne Heimbach Steins,Christliche Sozialethik, Münster University Prof. Ole Döring,Hunan Normal University/China Publications Teaching Cross-cultural issues in clinical ethics (Medical education 5th year, Clinical Ethics, obligatory lessons) Global Health Ethics (Medical Education, 1st or 2nd year, Introduction to Global Health, optional course) Ethics and Human Rights (MSc Global Health, module PM1, obligatory lessons) + About By a qualitative approach to health, especially the ethnography of health-relevant settings, anthropological research contributes to a better understanding of barriers and enablers for health at various levels. + Recent Publications Recent Publications × Bruchhausen W (2024) Women’s Health, Culture, and Ethics—Anthropological and Socio-Ethical Aspects in Global Health, in: Wacker J, Rothe C, En-Nosse M (ed.), Global Women’s Health. Gynecology and Obstetrics Under Diverse Global Conditions (Berlin: Springer Nature) 79-88. + More Information More Information × At Bonn University, Volker Roelcke founded the “AG Ethnomedizin” (Working Group Medical Anthropology) in 1992 by introducing joint seminars with relevant disciplines of the Philosophical Faculty, supervising the doctoral dissertation of Michael Knipper and initiating the habilitation of Walter Bruchhausen. Medical Anthropology For the social and cultural aspects of Global Health, now the area of the new professorship in Bonn, medical anthropology has been developed at the Bonn Medical Faculty since the early 1990s. Since then, internationally recognized expertise has been built particularly in the areas of spirituality/religion and health/medicine, ‘traditional medicine’ in East Africa and cross-cultural health care ethics. Partners Collaborations: AG Medical Anthropology,German Society for Social and Cultural Anthropology (DGSKA) Zentrum für Religion und Gesellschaft (ZERG) Prof. Klaus von Stosch, International Center for Comparative Theology and Social Issues, Catholic Theological Faculty, Bonn University. Previous Collaborations: Prof. Dr. Dorothea Lüddeckens, Religious Studies, Zürich University Prof. Dr. Simon Peng-Keller, Spiritual Care, Zürich University Publications Teaching + News News × 2025: Commissioned by the Oxford Bibliographies in History of Medicine (Ed. Jacalyn Duffin) the Section Head publishes the commented bibliography on ‘Religion and Global Health’. 2024: On invitation of the Robert Koch Institute, researchers on colonial medicine from Germany, Norway, UK, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Nigeria discussed the features and current implications of the institute’s and its namegiver’s involvement in colonial health policies and research. www.rki.de/EN/Institute/The-RKI/History/Colonial-legacy/colonial-legacy-node.html + Recent Publications Recent Publications × Bruchhausen W (2025) Religion and Global Health. Oxford Bibliographies in History of Medicine. Ed. Jacalyn Duffin. New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming. Bruchhausen W (2023c) German Engagement for Global Health in the Context of Global Collaboration, in: Branka Gabric, Stefan Hofmann (ed.), Healing Mission. The Catholic Church in the Era of Global Public Health = Weltkirche und Mission 19 (Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet) 125-143. + More Information More Information × Since the history of health and especially of global health has been largely neglected in the established German medical historiography a collaboration with historians and other experts of health outside medical faculties, academia, Germany and the Global North has been developed. Global Health History In international cooperation (especially Oxford, Basel, Bern and Shanghai) Bonn had developed into one of the German focal points for the history of colonial, missionary and tropical medicine as well as health in development cooperation and humanitarian assistance. International Partners Research Areas Previous Collaborations: Prof. Iris Borowy, History of International Development, University of Shanghai/China Prof. Hubert Steinke, Medical History, University of Bern/Switzerland Publications Dissertations Franziska Hommes, Humanitäre Hilfe und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit im Wandel. Eine Analyse von Diskursen und Aktivitäten deutscher Hilfsorganisationen im Gesundheitsbereich seit 1970, Dr. med. 2018 Carola Rensch, Die internationalen Kooperationen der Bonner medizinischen Parasitologie unter Gerhard Piekarski (1910-1992), Dr. med.
Global Oncology
+ News News × + Recent Publications Recent Publications × ↓ Projects Global Oncology The working group sets a focus on health system research and projects for cancer care in LMICs and in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as migrant cancer care in Germany Lead Members | Partners Dr. Oliver Henke, MSc Leader Global Oncology About Me Dr. Christina-Alexandra Conzen, MPH (Researcher & Working Group Coordination) Monika Pohle (Working Group Coordination) Dr. med. Maximilian Rost (Researcher) Dr. med. Jakob von Herder (Researcher) Dr. med. Gustavo Sarria Vargas (Researcher) Katharina Gruner (Medical Student & PhD Candidate) Jenny Bouraima (Doctor & PhD Candidate) Antonia Neeb (Medical Student & PhD Candidate) Rahel Ayo Gebremichael (PhD candidate) Juliana Janina Kassel (Guest researcher) Clara Markiewicz (Master student) Sanjita Banerjee (Master student) Research Areas Current Studies Health System Research in LMICs Global cancer epidemiology Clinical Oncology & Haematology in Sub-Saharan Africa Integrating point of care diagnostics into cancer care Infections and Cancer CML treatment outcome in SSA point-of-care ultrasound in primary health care Current projects Project Information FAST-ABCD sequencing – fast and accurate breast cancer diagnosis using nanopore sequencing Preview Only OOCC – Online Outreach Cancer Clinic Preview Only PalliKaPro – Palliative Care Provision in Kagera Region Preview Only CML-AID Score Preview Only #aboutbreastcancer Preview Only Past projects Project Information INUKA Palliative Care Project Preview Only DescriptionEstablishing palliative home care in Northern Tanzania & cost effectiveness analysis Partner Organisations ELCT DIFÄM Can-START – Cancer Staging and early Referral for Treatment Preview Only DescriptionUsing POCUS in primary health care settings for cancer detection Partner Organisations GIZ Hospital Partnership Programme with Marangu Lutheran Hospital, Tanzania
Dr. Christina-Alexandra Conzen
Research Memberships Emiology Nutritional epidemiology Public Health Projects Teaching Epidemiology Global Health Master Coordination ERASMUS+ Coordination for Global Health Dr. Christina-Alexandra Conzen, MPH study programme and section coordination 0228/287-10317 christina-alexandra.conzen@ukbonn.de
Dr. Jan Wynands
Research Memberships Reconstructive Surgery for War Wounds Healthcare in Danger Humanitarian Negotiation Interplast Germany Deutsche Gesellschaft für Globale und Tropenchirurgie e.V. (DTC) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Plastische, Rekonstruktive und Ästhetische Chirurgie (dgpraec) German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA) ANDO-modular aid e.V. (ANDO) Projects Teaching Dr. med. Jan Wynands Leader Global Surgery Global Surgery – jan.wynands@ukbonn.de
Dr. Oliver Henke
Research Memberships Health System Research in LMICs Global cancer epidemiology Clinical Oncology & Haematology in Sub-Saharan Africa Infections and Cancer Integrating point of care diagnostics into cancer care Steering Committee Member Regional Group Africa, International CML Foundation (since 2022) WHO Roster of Cancer Control Experts (since 2024) Member of Max Think Tank, Max Foundation (since 2024) Gesellschaft für Hämatologie und medizinische Onkologie (DGHO) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Palliativmedizin (DGP) Medical Council of Tanganyika (click) Projects Teaching current projects: FAST-ABCD Sequencing (Fast and Accurate Breast Cancer Diagnosis Using Nanopore Sequencing, NCT06633276), Tanzania OOCC (Online Outreach Cancer Clinic) PalliCaPro (Palliative Care Provision in the Kagera Region), Tanzania CML-AID Score (Development of the CML African Imatinib Decision Score) #aboutbreastcancer Psychosocial challenges, quality of life and social support among women with breast cancer in public hospitals in Ethiopia former projects: INUKA – Establishing palliative home-based care in Kilimanjaro Region & analyse it´s cost effectiveness Can-START (Cancer Staging and timely referral for treatment) – GIZ Hospital Partnership Programme with Marangu Lutheran Hospital, Tanzania UKB: Wahlpflichtfach Global Health UKB: Masterstudiengang „Master of Science Global Health“ Charité: Advanced Module “Global Oncology” “Master of Science in International Health” Bernhardt-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin: Diplomkurs Tropenmedizin Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Oliver Henke, MscIH Leader Global Oncology Global Oncology +49 (0) 228 287 51521 oliver.henke@ukbonn.de
Dr. Esther Evang
Research Memberships The role of nutrition in global health research Impact of food-to-food-fortification with baobab fruit pulp on iron status in Kenyan schoolchildren (RCT) Impact of nutrition education for improved young child nutrition linked with agriculture interventions on nutrition security in Malawi and Cambodia Determinants on decision making of early child feeding in Malawi (FGD) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE) German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA) Projects Teaching Operations and Outreach Manager of the Global Health Academy– an initiative of the German Alliance for Global Health Research BAOFOOD Module: International Nutrition (BSc) at Giessen University Module: Transition Management (MSc) at Giessen University Module: Epidemiology(MSc Global Health) at University of Bonn Module: Simulation Game on health and nutrition emergencies (MSc Global Health) at University of Bonn Dr. Esther C. Evang, MSc MSc +49 228-28751520 esther.evang@ukbonn.de