"Towards more ethical and equitable health care: exploring the cases of medical crowdfunding and global medical missions".

The increasing practices of medical crowdfunding and global medical missions have enabled people and communities facing health inequities to access essential healthcare services not provided by local public health care systems. However, these distinct practices both raise significant ethical concerns. My thesis explores the motivations and roles around involvement in these practices through ethical and equity lenses. Specifically, my thesis comprises two analyses. The first uses qualitative semi-structured interviews to examine how Canadian medical crowdfunding campaigners approach and safeguard privacy concern when fundraising for others' health needs. The second employs a comparative thematic approach to analyze GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign narratives posted by pre-medical and medical students, uncovering motivations for wanting to participate in medical missions to Ghana. Both analyses emphasize the importance of ethical practices and advocate for careful consideration in supporting access to care. Overall, this thesis offers valuable insights into the practices and ethical and equity dimensions of medical crowdfunding and global medical missions, contributing to the existing literature.