1 00:00:11,870 --> 00:00:22,409 my job is cool my job is the best job in 2 00:00:17,550 --> 00:00:24,869 the world I am NOT an astronaut I am NOT 3 00:00:22,410 --> 00:00:28,500 a rock star I don't write bestsellers I 4 00:00:24,869 --> 00:00:30,060 don't get paid to review the best 5 00:00:28,500 --> 00:00:32,219 restaurants in the world and I'm 6 00:00:30,060 --> 00:00:39,510 obviously not a basketball professional 7 00:00:32,219 --> 00:00:47,550 player but I am a global health 8 00:00:39,510 --> 00:00:49,920 researcher and by the end of this talk 9 00:00:47,550 --> 00:00:52,078 my inbox should be full with all your 10 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:55,410 CDs because you should all try and come 11 00:00:52,079 --> 00:00:59,329 work with me I'm going to give you six 12 00:00:55,410 --> 00:01:02,279 reasons in case you need to be convinced 13 00:00:59,329 --> 00:01:06,720 my job is cool because it allows me to 14 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:09,900 be useful plain and simple how many of 15 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:12,210 you can say the same thing how many of 16 00:01:09,900 --> 00:01:14,369 you do something for a living that 17 00:01:12,210 --> 00:01:18,479 really has an impact in other people's 18 00:01:14,369 --> 00:01:22,020 lives as a global health researcher I 19 00:01:18,479 --> 00:01:24,600 spent all of my time squeezing my 20 00:01:22,020 --> 00:01:29,658 neurons trying to figure out why poor 21 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:32,939 people become sick I try to find out 22 00:01:29,659 --> 00:01:36,990 innovative solutions to improve the 23 00:01:32,939 --> 00:01:38,880 health of those who most need it this is 24 00:01:36,990 --> 00:01:40,860 a good reason to wake happy every 25 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:46,079 morning and to be excited about what I 26 00:01:40,860 --> 00:01:50,009 do my job as a researcher is cool 27 00:01:46,079 --> 00:01:54,149 because it forces me to think outside of 28 00:01:50,009 --> 00:01:57,360 the box if you really want to have an 29 00:01:54,149 --> 00:01:59,729 impact you need to think differently and 30 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:03,750 not only computer designers get to have 31 00:01:59,729 --> 00:02:07,970 this privilege I'll show you two 32 00:02:03,750 --> 00:02:11,930 examples yes 33 00:02:07,970 --> 00:02:14,150 sorry for the picture yas is a tropical 34 00:02:11,930 --> 00:02:15,710 disease one of those who call neglected 35 00:02:14,150 --> 00:02:18,860 diseases which means that nobody really 36 00:02:15,710 --> 00:02:21,590 cares about them it is endemic in the 37 00:02:18,860 --> 00:02:25,430 Pacific and in some African countries 38 00:02:21,590 --> 00:02:28,580 it affects mainly children and causes 39 00:02:25,430 --> 00:02:31,880 chronic ulcers okay 40 00:02:28,580 --> 00:02:34,070 these disease will not kill you but try 41 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:38,000 walking around with this horrible thing 42 00:02:34,070 --> 00:02:39,530 in your leg not a good idea until very 43 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,660 recently yours 44 00:02:39,530 --> 00:02:43,700 was treated with penicillin injections 45 00:02:41,660 --> 00:02:45,650 something that is not very practical 46 00:02:43,700 --> 00:02:47,510 because you need to have trained 47 00:02:45,650 --> 00:02:50,840 personnel to administer the drug and 48 00:02:47,510 --> 00:02:54,620 because most sick children live very far 49 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,610 away from the health posts my friend 50 00:02:54,620 --> 00:02:59,209 Oriole 51 00:02:55,610 --> 00:03:03,500 a brilliant doctor came up with the idea 52 00:02:59,209 --> 00:03:06,080 of assessing whether a single oral dose 53 00:03:03,500 --> 00:03:09,530 of a very simple antibiotic called a 54 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:14,390 zero my sin could eventually replace the 55 00:03:09,530 --> 00:03:17,600 painful injections we tried this in the 56 00:03:14,390 --> 00:03:19,700 here a small island in Papua New Guinea 57 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:22,459 one of the most remote places in the 58 00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:27,970 world were one out of every ten children 59 00:03:22,459 --> 00:03:31,730 suffers this disease and bingo it worked 60 00:03:27,970 --> 00:03:34,489 now this drug can be used massively to 61 00:03:31,730 --> 00:03:38,000 treat entire populations and eventually 62 00:03:34,489 --> 00:03:42,280 eliminate the disease a simple idea but 63 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,280 a revolutionary solution to this problem 64 00:03:42,370 --> 00:03:47,989 malaria is another good example malaria 65 00:03:45,799 --> 00:03:49,910 is caused by a parasite that is 66 00:03:47,989 --> 00:03:53,750 transmitted through the bite of an 67 00:03:49,910 --> 00:03:58,970 infected mosquito it kills an African 68 00:03:53,750 --> 00:04:02,150 child every 60 seconds an effective 69 00:03:58,970 --> 00:04:04,430 vaccine against malaria could contribute 70 00:04:02,150 --> 00:04:07,640 substantially to reduce the burden of 71 00:04:04,430 --> 00:04:09,820 these disease unfortunately it is not 72 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:14,600 that simple 73 00:04:09,820 --> 00:04:19,120 how do you test a vaccine in a place 74 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:19,120 where people don't even have addresses 75 00:04:20,149 --> 00:04:25,669 you don't have Travis a today graafian 76 00:04:22,470 --> 00:04:28,200 event a dress in a place like this 77 00:04:25,670 --> 00:04:32,160 people challenge us and say that this 78 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:34,110 would be an impossible task but we've 79 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:36,030 been successfully testing this vaccine 80 00:04:34,110 --> 00:04:38,610 for the last ten years in a place like 81 00:04:36,030 --> 00:04:41,010 this in rural Mozambique and guess what 82 00:04:38,610 --> 00:04:44,730 we're closer than ever to the first 83 00:04:41,010 --> 00:04:47,940 malaria vaccine a major milestone in 84 00:04:44,730 --> 00:04:49,860 biomedical science this vaccine could 85 00:04:47,940 --> 00:04:56,100 save the lives of hundreds of thousands 86 00:04:49,860 --> 00:04:59,460 every year research is also cool because 87 00:04:56,100 --> 00:05:02,010 you get to be in the media the front 88 00:04:59,460 --> 00:05:05,489 page of the New York Times that is so 89 00:05:02,010 --> 00:05:07,770 cool but it's also so valuable how much 90 00:05:05,490 --> 00:05:14,220 would it cost you to actually buy this 91 00:05:07,770 --> 00:05:17,099 space we need the media to embark with 92 00:05:14,220 --> 00:05:21,050 us to join us to help us disseminate our 93 00:05:17,100 --> 00:05:25,230 messages the media has the power to 94 00:05:21,050 --> 00:05:30,630 magnify our voices to multiply a rich we 95 00:05:25,230 --> 00:05:32,490 love the media we need the media by the 96 00:05:30,630 --> 00:05:34,560 way sixty seconds have passed and 97 00:05:32,490 --> 00:05:36,540 another child has died of malaria this 98 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:41,370 should be front pages every morning also 99 00:05:36,540 --> 00:05:43,260 in the newspapers researching global 100 00:05:41,370 --> 00:05:47,190 health is also cool because you get to 101 00:05:43,260 --> 00:05:48,810 meet famous and powerful people don't 102 00:05:47,190 --> 00:05:53,640 get me wrong is not it's not about 103 00:05:48,810 --> 00:05:57,240 glamour it's about commitment when 104 00:05:53,640 --> 00:06:02,690 important people like Melinda Gates and 105 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:02,690 her husband comes to visit you 106 00:06:04,669 --> 00:06:08,400 when they come to visit you at your 107 00:06:06,900 --> 00:06:11,729 workplace you know you are doing the 108 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:14,340 right thing we need the powerful and the 109 00:06:11,729 --> 00:06:17,550 famous to remain engaged to help us 110 00:06:14,340 --> 00:06:20,310 advance the global health agenda we must 111 00:06:17,550 --> 00:06:24,360 ensure that the needs of the poorest of 112 00:06:20,310 --> 00:06:27,360 the poor are taking into account we need 113 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:30,030 the famous and the powerful to share 114 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:36,720 their influence with us as Julie Dixon 115 00:06:30,030 --> 00:06:39,948 was telling us from Seattle my job as a 116 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:44,930 research researcher is so cool that even 117 00:06:39,949 --> 00:06:51,210 working with the dead is exciting and 118 00:06:44,930 --> 00:06:53,009 worthwhile don't get me wrong unless you 119 00:06:51,210 --> 00:06:58,888 are a gothic you don't really want to 120 00:06:53,009 --> 00:07:01,199 spend time with a death but the dead can 121 00:06:58,889 --> 00:07:04,949 teach us many important things for the 122 00:07:01,199 --> 00:07:06,389 benefit of the living a few weeks ago I 123 00:07:04,949 --> 00:07:09,300 was in Manisa 124 00:07:06,389 --> 00:07:12,300 a small village in the south in the 125 00:07:09,300 --> 00:07:13,650 southern part of Mozambique I had the 126 00:07:12,300 --> 00:07:17,000 opportunity of speaking with a mother 127 00:07:13,650 --> 00:07:20,669 who had recently lost her child the 128 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:22,740 child became ill at home and never 129 00:07:20,669 --> 00:07:25,979 reached the hospital no one could tell 130 00:07:22,740 --> 00:07:29,159 what he had died off the mother was 131 00:07:25,979 --> 00:07:34,050 desperately asking for answers and I 132 00:07:29,159 --> 00:07:37,949 remain speechless isn't it amazing that 133 00:07:34,050 --> 00:07:39,690 in most poor countries we still haven't 134 00:07:37,949 --> 00:07:43,110 got a clue what most people are dying 135 00:07:39,690 --> 00:07:46,620 off how come haven't we managed to solve 136 00:07:43,110 --> 00:07:49,590 this very simple problem how are we 137 00:07:46,620 --> 00:07:52,259 going to prevent future deaths you were 138 00:07:49,590 --> 00:07:55,258 not evil even able to tell what are the 139 00:07:52,259 --> 00:07:58,349 most frequent causes of death we need 140 00:07:55,259 --> 00:08:01,110 post-mortem science to guide us we need 141 00:07:58,349 --> 00:08:02,849 to apply the technology in a field where 142 00:08:01,110 --> 00:08:04,699 research has also been dead for many 143 00:08:02,849 --> 00:08:08,430 decades 144 00:08:04,699 --> 00:08:10,919 we need to develop the tools that could 145 00:08:08,430 --> 00:08:12,840 give us some insight on what people are 146 00:08:10,919 --> 00:08:14,859 dying off the tools that may be 147 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:16,030 applicable in places under 148 00:08:14,860 --> 00:08:19,599 different religious and cultural 149 00:08:16,030 --> 00:08:21,938 backgrounds the tools that could be used 150 00:08:19,599 --> 00:08:25,300 in places where full autopsies are 151 00:08:21,939 --> 00:08:27,280 impossible to perform these are the 152 00:08:25,300 --> 00:08:30,310 tools that can provide real and 153 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:31,780 actionable answers I wish I had had 154 00:08:30,310 --> 00:08:38,140 those tools when I was speaking with 155 00:08:31,780 --> 00:08:40,539 that mother and finally research in 156 00:08:38,140 --> 00:08:51,310 global healthy school because it has 157 00:08:40,539 --> 00:08:54,130 allowed me to find love I am very very 158 00:08:51,310 --> 00:08:56,319 lucky to have found somebody someone 159 00:08:54,130 --> 00:08:59,279 that is as passionate as committed to 160 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,279 global health as I am 161 00:09:00,899 --> 00:09:07,750 My partner Maria and I will soon moving 162 00:09:04,779 --> 00:09:09,760 back to Mozambique but this time we'll 163 00:09:07,750 --> 00:09:17,380 bring along some twin new 164 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:19,750 responsibilities so to conclude let's 165 00:09:17,380 --> 00:09:22,959 move away from this silly idea that 166 00:09:19,750 --> 00:09:26,800 research can only be performed in a semi 167 00:09:22,959 --> 00:09:30,189 obscure indoors lab by nerds and Geeks 168 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:33,399 this is not true research can be done in 169 00:09:30,190 --> 00:09:36,339 the field where most major public health 170 00:09:33,399 --> 00:09:39,610 problems occur and are visible where it 171 00:09:36,339 --> 00:09:42,040 can provide positive disruption into the 172 00:09:39,610 --> 00:09:45,940 lives of millions of people so if you 173 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:47,649 are curious if you are relentless if you 174 00:09:45,940 --> 00:09:49,990 are ready to embark in the most 175 00:09:47,649 --> 00:09:52,839 wonderful of the adventures I need you 176 00:09:49,990 --> 00:09:55,209 to join us in the quest for global 177 00:09:52,839 --> 00:09:58,320 health solutions what are you waiting 178 00:09:55,209 --> 00:09:58,319 for you love it 179 00:10:01,190 --> 00:10:03,250 you