What happens when nearly 1,500 people who work or learn in global health convene in D.C.? We take a #selfie, of course! This year’s Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) conference brought together global health researchers, practitioners and students in Washington D.C., May 9-12 around the topic of Advancing Global Health in the Post-MDG Era. Attendees came from more than 50 countries, 208 universities, and 37% of attendees were students. Global health experience ranged from undergraduates to experts, such as William Foege, MD, MPH, whose work has saved millions of lives.

To get a sense of the crowd, check out the #CUGH2014 #selfie by CUGH Executive Director Keith Martin, MD (@keithmartinmd):

By mid-morning of the first day, Department Chair King Holmes, MD, PhD presented at a panel on “Can US Universities Sustain Their Global Health Commitments?”, where he discussed the core findings of a recent study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The session was one of the most popular with many attendees turned away because the room was at capacity. Faculty members Judd Walson, MD, MPH, and James Pfeiffer, MPH, PhD, and students from the START program also worked on the study, which provides a framework for evaluating and guiding global health programs in universities. The video of the session is available online.

Attendees were active on Twitter, especially during the debates, which addressed controversial topics such as, who benefits more from global health investments, the global North or the global South? Even President Obama stopped in via video to express his support for #CUGH2014.

In total, 14 speakers from UW presented at the conference, including Department Vice Chair Judith Wasserheit, MD, MPH, who until recently served as the Chair of the CUGH Board of Directors Chair, and William Foege, MD, MPH, External Advisory Board Chair for the UW Department of Global Health. Check out Dr. Wasserheit’s interview with International Innovation on the role and achievements of CUGH, and the significance of the conference focus on millennium development goals and sustainability.

For more information on the conference, visit the CUGH website.