As global commerce and immigration have increased, there is an acute need for training programs focused on global health. Galveston is a natural site for such as training program. Galveston is a major port and international trade was the main impetus for the development of the city. Texas is also a major center for immigration with 26% of the population of the metropolitan area born in foreign countries, including large populations born in Mexico, Central and South America, Asia, and Africa. Thus, health care in Galveston is forced to have an international focus. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) was the first continuously operating medical school west of the Mississippi. It is composed of 4 schools (biomedical sciences, medicine, nursing, and allied health). Each of the schools has been heavily involved internationally. UTMB is the site of WHO/PAHO collaborating centers in Tropical Diseases, Training in International Health, and Aging. UTMB student groups have also been active in global health. UTMB has recently recruited several faculty focused on global health with a goal of becoming the pre-eminent center for global health for the Southwest.
The specific aims of this proposal are: 1) To develop an administrative framework to coordinate global health activities on the UTMB campus, 2) To develop graduate programs in global health including a global health concentration within the MPH program and an international research ethics concentration within the masters program in medical humanities, 3) To leverage UTMB's expertise in telemedicine to develop a global grand rounds video conference, 4) To foster conferences and seminars focused on global health, 5) To recruit trainees into the field of global health and nurture their interest by funding short-term overseas fellowships for medical, nursing, allied health and graduate students. In accomplishing these objectives, we will develop new degree programs focused on global health, develop ongoing conference series, both locally and via telemedicine, and provide a generation of trainees with hands-on experience in global health. In the process, we anticipate recruiting and nurturing a cadre of bright young leaders into the field of global health research. These programs will also provide a platform for additional fundraising for a sustained global health program at UTMB. Public Health Relevance: The Galveston Global Health Consortium is a coordinated effort by the schools of Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. It will recruit and nurture trainees in global health by developing global health concentrations in public health and ethics graduate degree programs;providing lectures;case conferences;and conferences on global health;and by providing funding for research training in developing countries.
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