Focus of the Global Health Summer School 2015 were the common issues of globalisation, refugees and health, a very current but by no means a new topic. The major concern people have when migrating may not be access to a health system, but such access is essential for their health. We discussed the situation – dynamic and constantly evolving due to various factors. Refugees and migrants are a heterogenic group of people with different backgrounds, who are diversely affected by their flight and end up at various destinations - united by the hope for a better life.

How can we approach this discussion openly, analytically and inclusively, without stereotyping, stigmatising or generalising? While remaining aware of our own powerful and “privileged” Eurocentric viewpoint, we wanted to discover, together with academia and civil society organisations, what can be done practically and what we should demand politically in our democracies.

The Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Germany (IPPNW) were hosts of the 4th Global Health Conference (September 12, 2015) and the 5th Global Health Summer School (September 13-19, 2015) in Berlin.

Rocío from Austria/Spain

We were able to take a look at the dynamics of migration, conflict and flight from different perspectives, and get to know about the initiatives that are being taken also at different levels to try give a response to the challenges emerging from globalization processes. We explored the broad range of factors that determine the access to health care for refugees and asylum seekers. This approach on social, cultural and economic aspects gave us a comprehensive picture on the importance of interdisciplinary responses to health care challenges. As Dr. Dainius Puras stated in his keynote, health should start being considered more of a social science: It is not only about dealing with disease but also about dealing with its human dimension.

Yasmine from France/Egypt

I had a really great time attending the course. The topic of "Globalisation, Refugees and Health" was addressed in all its complexities and different layers to tackle, from an international, European and local perspective. The sessions were interactive, thought-provoking and very enriching. The participants came from all walks of life. Everybody who participated had an open-minded approach and created a "safe space" to share experiences, opinions and suggestions for the future. This experience shook me at the core of me, and re-ignited my passion for the topic and wish for involvement in the "refugee opportunity". All in all, a great experience which I highly recommend for students, medical professionals and normal citizens who wish to understand, contribute and make a difference in today's world.

Neeraj from Nepal

It was like starting from zero level about the global issues of refugees.So now after attending the program I am familiar with the current refugee problems, their impacts and ways to manage their health problems. Meeting people from different regions is really great, sharing knowledge and experiences and of course this group was really awesome. The workshops were really informative. This program helped me to change my views on refugees as a crisis to challenging opportunity.

Nora from Germany

In this year`s summer school I was not only able to connect with amazingly inspiring people and activists but also make great new friends. The topic could not have been more pressing and solutions more urgent. My horizon was widened greatly by our discussions and I have great hopes for the future, knowing that there are more people like the global health summer school participants and speakers in this world.

Jason from Netherlands/Germany

During my studies of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a major in Global Public health I have not had the chance to learn about issues related to refugees. As the ‘refugee crisis’ is however such an important and contemporary topic I wanted to attend the summer school to learn more about it. I even decided to write my bachelor thesis on a topic related to asylum seekers’ health. Having  people from all over the world with different professional and cultural backgrounds participate in the summer school was great. Many of my fellow participants are very active in NGOs that I had never heard of prior to attending the summer school. I am very excited to get engaged in some of them myself.