The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) proposes a Framework Program in Global Health, which will build on efforts to expand global health across the University and beyond. This new program will coordinate a multidisciplinary approach to the study and practice of global health in the undergraduate and graduate curricula. It will facilitate and support student and faculty research through a small grants program targeted to individuals with little prior experience in global health. Over the past several years, UNC has experienced an increased demand from both undergraduate and graduate students for more training and opportunities in global health. There already exists a vibrant, University-wide Student Global Health Committee (www.unc.edu/sghc). The newly founded Office of Global Health (www.sph.unc.edu/ogh) in the School of Public Health has begun to reach across campus, and is poised to expand these efforts with more institutional and external support. The intellectual environment at UNC is widely viewed as collegial and collaborative, and there are many examples of strong, interdisciplinary teaching and research to draw upon. These include several interdisciplinary Centers at the University, such as the Carolina Population Center, Center for Health Prevention and Disease Prevention, international and area studies centers, and Center for Infectious Disease - all of which already have a global scope. The UNC Framework Program in Global Health brings together a diverse set of formal partners on campus, including many NIH-funded global health investigators. It engages local and international research organizations and institutions. On-campus partners and external colleagues have been actively involved in the development of the UNC Framework Program. Substantial interest has been generated, demonstrated through financial and in-kind institutional commitments from on-campus partners, as well as support for new research and curricular collaborations both on and off campus. The Framework Program will: 1. Develop university-wide global health curricula for undergraduate and graduate students and develop new multidisciplinary courses. 2. Create an administrative framework to coordinate global health activities across UNC. 3. Support and expand research endeavors and strengthen the curricula in global health through key supporting activities.
