Decolonizing Global Health Education: Rethinking Power, Knowledge and Pedagogy in Collaborative Health Systems

This study critically examines the decolonization of global health education, focusing on the integration of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) at three universities: Makerere University (Uganda), the University of Cape Town (South Africa), and the University of Oxford (UK). The research objectives are: (i) to analyze how power dynamics in educational partnerships between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) influence knowledge production and curriculum development; (ii) to investigate the persistence of colonial legacies in global health education and their role in perpetuating the dominance of Western biomedical paradigms; and (iii) to assess the impact of transformative pedagogies on the decolonization process. Utilizing a multi-method qualitative approach, the study combines 20 semi-structured interviews, 5 focus group discussions, and curriculum analysis. Interviews and focus groups involved global health students and educators, while the curriculum analysis examined syllabi, reading lists, and course materials to assess the integration of non-Western health practices and the marginalization of IK. Data were analyzed using thematic coding in NVivo software to identify recurring themes related to epistemic injustice, the dominance of Western biomedical knowledge, and institutional power dynamics in global health education. The findings reveal that Makerere University adopts a more inclusive approach, significantly integrating Indigenous Knowledge and participatory pedagogies, fostering epistemic pluralism and local relevance. In contrast, the University of Cape Town and the University of Oxford remain largely grounded in Eurocentric biomedical paradigms, with limited integration of non-Western knowledge systems despite some efforts toward decolonization. These findings underscore the urgent need for institutional reforms that redistribute epistemic authority, embrace epistemic diversity, and promote transformative, community-based pedagogies. This research highlights that decolonizing global health education requires more than curricular reform—it demands a fundamental rethinking of whose knowledge is valued and how it is taught. The study calls for a reconfiguration of global health education frameworks that prioritize epistemic justice, inclusive knowledge production, and equitable power relations in academic partnerships.