21st Century Approaches to Neglected Tropical Diseases

The World Health Organization defines Neglected Tropical Diseases as "a diverse group of conditions that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas, where they mostly affect impoverished communities and disproportionately affect women and children." Notably, the vast majority of NTDs are infectious diseases. While the average American never is plagued by these diseases, COVID-19 has opened our eyes to taking a more global approach to health, and emphasized the importance of investing in infectious disease research. Through this course, students will discuss and understand how and why infectious diseases have become "neglected" and the modern approaches currently being taken at Stanford and beyond to combat NTDs.