UCSF graduates first cohort of Global Health students
From left to right: Trevor Jensen, Robin Tittle, Kelli Barbour, Haile T. Debas, Radhika Chigurupati, Robert Wyrod, SoSon Jong, Jayalakshmi “Ammu” Ravindran
On July 24, 2009 seven UCSF students became the first in the US to receive a Master of Science degree in Global Health.
These newly minted graduates, along with the UCSF Master’s program itself, are blazing a path forward that is quickly being followed by others. The program is growing rapidly, with 21 students expected to enroll in September. It is also serving as a model for the proposed systemwide UC School of Global Health.
In fact, student demand for global health education programs is growing all across North America. This growth has prompted several leading universities, including UCSF, Duke, Emory and the University of Washington, to establish the Consortium of Universities for Global Health to facilitate collaboration and provide a forum for standard setting and advocacy.
“The global health problems of the 21st century are complex and require a shift in the traditional educational paradigm,” said Haile Debas, MD, executive director of UCSF Global Health Sciences. “The leaders of tomorrow, whether they are working in government, academia or at the clinical level, will require knowledge that stretches beyond their traditional discipline.”
The 12-month UCSF Master’s program was designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for careers in international health policy, health care, research and development. Faculty from multiple disciplines teach courses that stress hands-on global health practice through lectures, seminars and fieldwork.
A cornerstone of the program is a year-long seminar to prepare students for their chosen fieldwork experience by emphasizing study design, practicalities of field research, cultural sensitivity and project management. Students spend the spring quarter working in the field, either in underserved populations in the US or in resource-poor regions around the world. For example, students in the inaugural class did projects on workforce migration in Tanzania, telemedicine in India, malaria surveillance in Uganda, and use of microfinance loans to assist HIV-positive farmers in Kenya.
“The integration of fieldwork into the Master’s program throughout the year means that students directly apply the information in each class to a real-world setting,” said student Robin Tittle, who will soon be entering her fourth year of medical school. “This has helped me to reshape many aspects of my own project as it develops alongside the academic material.”
Of particular note is the program’s emphasis on collaborative education. The University’s unique position as a health sciences campus, coupled with the integrative approach, allows it to be a leader in addressing the global challenges of the future.
“Global health education goes way beyond public health in its scope and approach,” says Program Director John Ziegler, MD. “Students learn how culture, geography and history play into the burden of disease in different regions of the world. They develop analytic skills needed to interpret policy, development and interventions in a local context.”
“We see the Program drawing upon not only various health and science disciplines, but also economics, communications and engineering, among others,” adds Debas. “This will allow our students to be better equipped to handle emerging global problems.”