The 2025 North Carolina Global Health Alliance Fall Event brought our community together at a moment when global health is rapidly shifting, and the energy in the room was undeniable! More than 140 practitioners, students, policymakers, and partners gathered to reflect on an era of transition and to imagine a path forward rooted in collaboration, courage, and hope.

 

Throughout the morning, speakers challenged us to confront the complexities of global health today: evolving disease burdens, mismatched funding priorities, shifting geopolitical realities, and the urgent need for truly community-driven solutions.

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Storytelling emerged as a central theme, echoed most powerfully by our Ward Cates Emerging Voices in Global Health speakers. These five rising leaders delivered TED-style talks on antimicrobial resistance and climate change, stigma reduction, low value care, creative evaluation, and the importance of centering - and truly hearing - lived experience. Their optimism, insight, and courage reminded us that the future of global health is not only bright, it is already taking shape.