YEREVAN, Armenia — On September 26, Dr. Hratchia Lylozian (MPH ’16), Research associate at the Avedisian Onanian Center for Health Services Research and Development in the Turpanjian College of Health Sciences at the American University of Armenia (AUA), delivered a presentation entitled “Global Health in a Changing World: Governance, Instruments, and Diplomacy.”
The presentation offered a comprehensive analysis of the field of global health, examining its definition, scope, and domains, with particular emphasis on governance, policy instruments, and diplomacy. Dr. Lylozian traced the historical evolution of global health governance, highlighting institutional shifts in response to pandemics, technological advancements, and geopolitical transformations.
A substantial portion of the talk was devoted to the role of international legal and policy frameworks, underscoring the World Health Organization’s (WHO) normative function in establishing conventions, regulations, and other mechanisms that shape global health outcomes.
In addressing the practice of global health diplomacy, Dr. Lylozian examined its progression from state-centric negotiations to inclusive, multilateral, and multi-stakeholder dialogues that increasingly involve civil society, academia, and the private sector. The WHO pandemic preparedness agreement was presented as a contemporary case study, illustrating both the challenges and imperatives of achieving consensus in an era of geopolitical fragmentation and widening health disparities.
Through this engagement, Dr. Lylozian underscored the importance of strengthening governance and diplomatic processes to more effectively respond to current and future global health challenges, while fostering informed dialogue among stakeholders. A lively Q&A session followed his presentation.
Notably, Dr. Lylozian’s presentation drew upon insights gained from the Executive Course on Global Health Diplomacy, which he attended from April to June 2025 at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. His participation in the course was made possible thanks to AUA’s Professional Development Program.
The AUA Turpanjian College of Health Sciences works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of health professionals to be leaders in public health, nursing, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.
