Seye Abimbola: Expanding the scope of global health at BMJ
Seye Abimbola is a PhD student at The George Institute for Global Health and the University of Sydney. He was recently named as Editor-in-Chief of a new journal by the renowned British Medical Journal dedicated to global health.
How long have you been working at The George Institute?
I've worked at, and been affiliated to The George Institute on and off since 2009 — so six years now.
What attracted you to working at The George Institute?
The people I work with at The George Institute — they care and think very deeply about what they do, and at the same time, see the fun in the work.
To explain to people what I do I say….
I study how health systems are governed where governments are weak and strategies for improving health care in such settings around the world.
How you feel about your appointment as Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Global Health?
I thinks it's a great honour and opportunity to expand the scope of global health discussion and debate. I've been engaged in projects that have tried to bring the voices and realities of people working on the ground in disadvantaged communities to the broader global health audience. This is so that people who are able to help them have the right information to maximise the benefits of their investment and support. I see my role in BMJ Global Health as part of this effort.
Why has the BMJ launched this new journal and what difference will in make to global health?
The BMJ is keen to see a world in which every person and country has access to information about health, health care and social determinants of health that they need to protect their own health and the health of the people for whom they take responsibility.
What is your professional background and have you ever done anything like this before?
I originally trained as a physician, and then in epidemiology. But now I use social science approaches and economic theory to study health systems. I've been an editor for much of my life — from my high school press club, to my medical school journal, and when I was in my final year in medical school, I worked at the BMJ in London on a BMJ Clegg Scholarship (which provides an opportunity for medical students to learn how journals are put together). In the past few years, I've been curating global health blogs for the BMJ and I've been a contributing editor to the newsletter International Health Policies.
My first job was….
In 2007, when I was a pre-registration house officer at Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesha, Nigeria. That was my first full-time job. But before then, I had paid gigs as a writer for the student edition of the BMJ and a year-long unpaid gig as the editor-in-chief of my medical school journal.
To unwind at the end of the day I….
I hang out with my family, read print outs from the New York Review of Books (I still can't read serious pieces on the screen!) and watch the TV looking out for romantic and political drama, live or scripted, no matter how bad.
My biggest achievement so far….
Being lucky to have a great family, great friends and to love what I do, all of which allow me to be happy pretty much all the time, and none of which I'm actually responsible for, so I wonder if they are achievements, really.
