Professionals : CHF 1,100
External students (*) : CHF 900
UNIGE students (*) (max. 5 students) : CHF 250

(*) Undergraduate, Master’s degree-seeking students only. The tuition fees for lifelong learning students and Ph.D. candidates are subject to employment status.

(*) A few stipends covering the fees, accomodations and meals will be available for students from Low and middle income countries (check list of countries here). To apply for a stipend, please apply before 15 April 2025.

Course Director:

Prof. Stéphanie Dagron

Stéphanie Dagron is a full professor of international law at the University of Geneva, teaching and researching in the fields of health and social security law. Since September 2022, she is the director of the Master of science in global health. She holds a PhD in International and European law from the Universities of Poitiers (France) and Saarbrücken (Germany). She has been a professor at the University of Zurich between 2013 and 2016.

Since 2013, Stéphanie has practiced international law in her work as a consultant for WHO in the fields of tuberculosis, human rights, research ethics and infectious diseases. She is also a member of the WHO Research Ethics Committee. Stephanie’s research activities have been funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation: a first research project addressed the global regulation of pharmaceuticals; a second large-scale research project was concerned with the role of international law as an indispensable instrument to address global health issues and reinforce social justice.

 

Scientific Committee

Prof. Gian Luca Burci

Gian Luca Burci has been an Adjunct Professor of international law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva since 2012.  He is also Academic Adviser to the Global Health Centre of the Graduate. Before this appointment, he served in the Legal Office of the World Health Organization from 1998 to 2016 and was its Legal Counsel from 2005 to 2016. Prof. Burci holds a post graduate degree in law from the University of Genova, Italy.

He is the co-author of the leading English book on WHO, editor of the first research collection on global health law, co-editor of the first research handbook on global health law and author of numerous articles and book chapters on a variety of topics including the law of international organizations, UN peace and security functions, international immunities, as well as global health law.

Prof Lisa Forman

Professor Lisa Forman is the Canada Research Chair in Human Rights and Global Health Equity and an Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She is an international human rights law scholar whose research explores how the right to health may contribute to advancing health equity, including in relation to access to medicines, universal health coverage, global health policy, pandemic responses and COVID-19.

Professor Forman’s work has been supported by the CIHR, the European Commission, the World Health Organization, and the Lupina Foundation. Professor Forman qualified as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa, with a BA and LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her graduate studies include a Master in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University and a Doctorate in Juridical Science from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law. 

Prof Benjamin Mason Meier

Benjamin Mason Meier is a Professor of Global Health Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Chair of the Global Health Law Consortium. Dr. Meier’s interdisciplinary research—at the intersection of global health, international law, and public policy—examines rights-based approaches to health. His recent global health governance volume, Human Rights in Global Health: Rights-Based Governance in a Globalizing World (OUP 2018), examines the influence of human rights across the health efforts of the United Nations.

Drawing from this comparative analysis of international organizations, Dr. Meier has published an academic textbook for the field of health and human rights, Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights (OUP 2020). To advance legal scholarship on contemporary global health issues, he recently launched a quarterly column on Global Health Law in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics and is now editing a foundational text on Global Health Law & Policy: Realizing Justice for a Healthier World (OUP 2023).

Dr. Pedro A. Villarreal

Pedro A. Villarreal is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law and a Researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. His research focuses on international and comparative law on human health issues, as well as its intersections with international economic law. He received his PhD in Law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

His book, Pandemics and Law: A Global Governance Perspective (published in 2019 in Spanish) was awarded the Prize for the Best Doctoral Dissertation in Law and Social Sciences at said University. He is a member, among other associations, of the Global Health Law Consortium, the Global Health Law Committee of the International Law Association, and the German Alliance for Global Health Research. He is currently member of the editorial board of Lex-Atlas: COVID-19.

Preliminary list of (academic) speakers

This Summer School will bring together distinguished scholars in global health law (mostly members of the Global Health Law Consortium, https://www.globalstrategylab.org/ghlc) as well as practitioners and professionals from international institutions in Geneva (WHO, WTO, WOAH, ILO, UNHCHR, GAVI etc).

The (confirmed) scholars for this first Global Health Law Summer School are:

• Prof. Gian Luca Burci (Graduate institute, Geneva, Switzerland)
• Prof. Stéphanie Dagron (University of Geneva, Switzerland)
• Prof Lisa Forman (Toronto University, Canada)
• Roojin Habibi (Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholar, York University, Canada)
• Prof. Benjamin Mason Meier (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA)
• Prof. Stefania Negri (University of Salerno, Italy), tbc
• Prof. Sharifa Sekkalala (University of Warwick, UK)
• Prof. Aeyal Gross (Tel Aviv University, Israel)
• Dr. Pedro Villarreal (Max-Planck-Institute, Germany)

 

TBC

Luka Vujaskovic, North Carolina School of Law, USA - 2023 Edition

I am from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and I currently attend the University of North Carolina School of Law. My interests are at the intersection of international law and health law; thus, this Summer School was an ideal way to learn more about global health law. More specifically, I wanted to come to this Summer School because I was drawn by the impressive scholars, rigorous academic schedule, opportunities to network, and the planned activities (which included a visit to the World Health Organization and a mock session of negotiations). The Summer School exceeded my expectations in all aspects – academically, professionally, and personally. Attending this Summer School was made possible through the generous scholarship from ThinkSwiss. Without this support I likely would not have been able to attend. For that reason, I am very appreciative of the opportunity and I know that I will stand to benefit from this experience in the years to come.

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Caitlin Williams, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA - 2023 Edition

I am originally from South Orange, New Jersey, USA. I currently study at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Maternal and Child Health, studying sustainability of global health implementation projects. I wanted to come to the Summer School to gain a better understanding of the international legal regimes that structure the decision-space within which domestic health policymakers and program managers operate. I had a wonderful experience. I learned so much about global health law, and really enjoyed meeting and learning from the other participants in the School.The trip to the World Health Organization and getting to see Dr. Tedros was a particular highlight! Without ThinkSwiss, it would not have been possible for me to participate in the Summer School. I am so grateful to ThinkSwiss for providing me with this life-changing and career-defining opportunity.

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Julianne Piper, Canada - 2023 Edition

I am from Vancouver, B.C. and currently pursuing a PhD in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. The Geneva Summer School in Global Health Law provided a really unique opportunity to deepen my knowledge in this critical field, as the new pandemic instrument and International Health Regulations (IHR) are being negotiated in real-time, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The course was incredible, situated at the Brocher Foundation on Lac Leman, bringing together an immensely diverse student cohort to learn from great thinkers and leaders in the field. I am very grateful to ThinkSwiss, since without this support, I would not have had the opportunity to engage in this incredible learning opportunity.

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Geeta Moni, India - 2023 Edition

I am an undergraduate law student in India. My interest in Global Health Law arose a few years ago and since then I have been fascinated by the works of professors Dagron, Burci, Foreman, and Villarreal. The Summer School in Global Health was all my inspirations rolled into one and the scholarship gave me the opportunity to experience this wonderful opportunity.

The Summer School in Global Health Law was an incredible learning experience for any budding global health lawyer. Academically, it broadened my horizons, gave me a solid theoretical foundation, and built my understanding of the interactions between health and international laws. Professionally, it was an important catalyst in my journey in global health law. I had great interactions with my peers and mentors and gained a better understanding of the field and my place in it. Most importantly, I had loads of fun! Our visit to the WHO was fascinating and our lunches by the lake were amazing! The city of Geneva and the Brocher Foundation are absolutely breathtaking, and I made some lifelong friends along the way!

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Nadia Mutisi, Zimbabwe - 2023 Edition

My name is Nadia Mutisi. I am a student from Zimbabwe. I was a recipient of the Canton of Geneva Scholarship. I am immensely grateful for this support as without it I would not have been able to attend the summer school on Global Health Law.

At the summer school, I learnt a lot about Global Health Law. My goal was to decide whether it is a field I want to delve into for my post graduate studies since I am in my final year of law school. The lecturers helped me to see Global Health Law in a deeper manner than before and I am more confident about selecting the field as a research area during my post graduate studies. I should also mention that health law is very new and emerging in Zimbabwe. It is not even a course that is a part of the students’ curriculums hence being supported to attend this summer school is groundbreaking in and of itself. I am immensely thankful.

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Adriana Montalvan, Harvard University, USA - 2023 Edition

As a medical graduate from Costa Rica currently working in the department of Transplant Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and pursuing a Master's in Public Health with a concentration in global health at Harvard University, I had the privilege of participating in the Geneva Global Health Law Summer Course. I cannot emphasize enough how truly amazing this experience was for me.

The selection committee and educational affairs team demonstrated exceptional skill in assembling a diverse cohort that represented the essence of interdisciplinary and international learning. Each lesson and exercise were meticulously planned by the faculty, who not only delivered outstanding lectures but also facilitated networking opportunities and follow-up projects for some of the students.

I would also like to express my gratitude to Foundation Brocher for their outstanding organization and collaboration, which further enriched the overall experience. The seamless coordination and support provided by them ensured that every aspect of the program ran smoothly, allowing us to focus on our learning and personal growth.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Geneva Global Health Summer Course. It has not only expanded my knowledge and understanding of global health law but has also connected me with a diverse network of passionate individuals. This scholarship has undoubtedly played a pivotal role in shaping my academic and professional journey, and I am confident that the skills and insights gained from this program will have a lasting impact on my future endeavors.

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Ana Ines Diaz Testimonial, practitioner, Argentina - 2023 Edition

I am Ana Inés from Mar del Plata, Argentina. The Global Health Law summer course was a life-changing experience: the renowned team of professors, the well-selected health issues, the possibility of meeting nice people from many countries, the WHO field visit, the location at Fondation Brocher, I mean everything was perfect. Thank you very much for the admission and scholarship. My career as a lawyer in the field of Health Law has been upgraded with this training.

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Maria Birungi Kakinda, from Uganda - 2023 Edition

The Global Health Law under the University of Geneva’s summer school programme was a dream come true for me.  I interacted with leading scholars in Global Health Law by inquiring about their scholarship: we developed a mantra during class; ‘no question is stupid’. This helped me to be less self-conscious and truly embody a learners’ mindset. The course helped me also understand that International Health law is an embodiment of various international legal regimes, through the detailed lectures on the various regimes delivered over the course of the week. A highlight during the week was the visit to the World Health Organization offices, the talks given by the officials, and the selfies and group picture with the WHO Director-General! I also met fellow Global Health Law enthusiasts from across the world, and it was great to learn about their interests in the field. Would I recommend this experience to anyone? In the blink of an eye.

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Elizabeth Loftus, University of Toronto - 2023 Edition

My name’s Elizabeth, and I’m from Toronto, Ontario in Canada. I am entering my second year in the Master of Public Health in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences (Health Promotion) program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, at the University of Toronto. I had an amazing experience in the Global Health Law summer course, and think it would be an asset to anyone interested in the subject matter!

The course content was both challenging and rewarding to learn – we received solid foundational instruction on global health law, health and human rights, global health security, health systems strengthening, as well as climate change and environmental law from a global health law lens. The instruction quality in the course was very high – the instructors had impressive academic and professional backgrounds, and brought a rich wealth of knowledge to the course and students. Our learning was further enhanced by our visit to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Headquarters, where we learned about the revision of the International Health Regulations, and the negotiation of a new pandemic treaty. Further, the makeup of the course was diverse, with over 40 students from over 20 countries, and a wide array of backgrounds ranging from law, to international affairs and political science, to public health and medicine. I think the diverse backgrounds of the students greatly added to my learning experience in the course! Additionally, the venue at which the event was hosted was beautiful – the Brocher Foundation’s facilities are quaint and comfortable, and it is located steps from Lake Geneva. The environment made it feel equal parts like a retreat, as well as an intensive course. Another remarkable aspect of the course was the funding that was available to students. The course director and coordinators went above and beyond in making sure that the course was as accessible as possible.

I think I am walking away from this course with an improved understanding of the field of Global Health Law, and believe that it will make me a more critical and well-rounded public health practitioner and researcher in the future! Many thanks to the instructors and course coordinators, and all the best to future students in this course!