Northwestern University proposes to establish a campus-wide Office of Global Health Programs, whose mission is to transform international health education at Northwestern by creating a truly interdisciplinary campus-wide program that will prepare our students and faculty to meet the 21st century challenges of global health, such as the global burden of disease, immigrant health, brain drain of medical personnel from resource-poor settings to resource-rich settings, and health disparities in access to health care. Our program builds on the successful Global Health programs developed at Northwestern over the past few years, including: (1) a Global Health Minor with over 250 enrolled students;(2) new curricular offerings in Global Health 10 courses now offered;(3) public health programs abroad designed for Northwestern students in collaboration with partner institutions in Mexico, China, South Africa, Uganda, and France;(4) global health programs for first year medical students;and (5) directed group research in Global Health. We propose to significantly expand this initiative and to develop a truly integrated university-wide program. The office of Global Health Programs will implement initiatives designed to expand faculty interest and expertise in global health, develop new global health courses, expand international study and research, strengthen international partnerships, and develop the institutional infrastructure required to facilitate global health study and research and create truly interdisciplinary collaborations across schools and disciplines. Some of the specific mechanisms proposed include: (1) curriculum development grants;(2) integration of Global Health into the core medical curriculum;(3) a Global Health concentration in the Medical School;(4) a MPH five-year option for Minors in Global Health;(5) Global Health Team Projects for student research abroad;(6) faculty globalization grants;(7) new research sites in Bolivia and Rwanda;(8) planning grants for interdisciplinary faculty research;(10) Bringing the world to Northwestern, a major initiative to sponsor visits by global health scholars, and to conduct research on healthcare delivery innovations abroad;and (11) creation of an Interactive Public Website to disseminate and publish scholarly and programmatic materials developed through the program, facilitate communication with project participants on campus and abroad, and contribute to Global Health knowledge and curriculum development at other institutions. Public Health Relevance: Increasing awareness of the complexity and immediacy of global health problems has not resulted in needed reorganization of educational and research programs at many of our institutions of higher learning. As a result, students and healthcare professionals often go abroad with inadequate preparation and are unable to make a real contribution to the long-term solution of global health problems. Our program is designed to provide students and faculty a deep understanding of the complex interaction between domestic and global forces, the cultural and political realities that impact health policies in different societies, and the international environment that spreads the impact of these problems throughout the world.
