The UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences (IGHS) is proud to welcome Nadia Diamond-Smith, PhD, MSc, as Director of the PhD in Global Health Sciences, and Devan Jaganath, MD, MPH, as Associate Director of the Master of Science (MSc) in Global Health Sciences.
IGHS Education Director Elizabeth Fair, PhD, MPH, said, “I am thrilled that Dr. Nadia Diamond-Smith and Dr. Devan Jaganath are joining the Education Team in these leadership positions. They are exceptional researchers in their respective fields and will bring depth to our education programs.”
Nadia Diamond-Smith, Director of the PhD Program in Global Health Sciences
Nadia Diamond-Smith is an Associate Professor in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department and IGHS at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Her expertise is in maternal and reproductive health, with a focus on gender inequality, women’s empowerment, family planning and abortion, nutrition, and the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods. A public health demographer, she conducts research in Asia, Africa, the US, and Latin America. Diamond-Smith also teaches courses in Demography, Research Ethics and Practice, Implementation Science, and Equity Issues in Reproductive Health at UCSF.
“Since it started 10 years ago, I have seen the IGHS PhD program grow and thrive,” Diamond-Smith said. “I am thrilled to take on this role. I look forward to continuing to work with the incredible faculty, staff, and students who make this program so unique, and to building on that momentum in the years ahead.”
Devan Jaganath, Associate Director of the Master of Science (MSc) in Global Health Science
Devan Jaganath is a pediatric infectious diseases physician whose research is focused on improving the care of children with tuberculosis (TB). He utilizes epidemiology and data science methods to develop and identify new tools and biomarkers for TB diagnosis and treatment and evaluate their accuracy and implementation through multi-center clinical studies.
As Associate Director, Jaganath will direct the capstone research course and guide and support students through their projects and fieldwork that inform their final reports and presentations.
“As a student, I completed a master’s degree that provided me with amazing mentors and international health experiences that changed my life. I’m now looking forward to the opportunity to work with students in the program to understand and support their goals to be leaders in global health,” said Jaganath.
In September, IGHS will welcome to campus a new cohort of MSc students and outstanding continuing PhD students.
These two programs are some of the first in the nation to focus on global health as an academic discipline. IGHS students get the opportunity to work closely with faculty mentors through UCSF’s extensive network and are supported through their own research capstone projects and dissertations.
Fair said, “IGHS global health students will benefit from Nadia and Devan’s fresh perspectives in the classroom, in applied research projects, and through their stewardship. As our global health educational offerings expand in new directions, they will be essential partners in that evolution.”