In the past few years, IGHS welcomed three new groups: the Center for Global Nursing, the Center for Tuberculosis, and the Health and Human Rights Initiative. The integration of these groups marks a significant step toward the institute’s commitment to addressing global health challenges through multidisciplinary collaboration and innovation. These groups bring critical expertise in global nursing, infectious diseases, and human rights, enhancing the collective capacity at the institute. Their integration creates new opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration that will help reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes worldwide.

The Center for Global Nursing

Nurses comprise approximately 60 percent of the global health workforce and are essential for optimizing patient care and achieving universal health coverage. The World Health Organization estimates that there are 29 million nurses worldwide, yet nurses are often underrepresented in global health initiatives and excluded from leadership roles within prominent global health organizations. As a result, there is a significant gap in nursing perspectives within the broader global health agenda.

To address this gap, the Center for Global Nursing (CGN) was founded within IGHS by Rebecca Silvers, DNP, CPNP-AC, in collaboration with nursing leadership from UCSF Health and the UCSF School of Nursing. CGN serves as a central hub, bridging the divide between nursing and global health by providing UCSF nurses and advanced practice providers with opportunities to engage in global health solutions. CGN’s work is grounded in three core pillars: education, partnership and research. These pillars guide its efforts to empower nursing professionals in contributing to and leading global health initiatives.

Catherine Waters, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor, Department of Community Health, School of Nursing; Madelyn Pearson, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Executive and Vice President for Patient Care Services for UCSF Health, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, School of Nursing; and Rebecca Silvers, DNP, CPNP-AC Chief Operating Officer of Children Services and Director of the UCSF Center for Global Nursing, attend the first anniversary celebration of the UCSF Center for Global Nursing. Photo by Susan Merrell

One of CGN’s cornerstone programs is “Introduction to Cultural Humility,” a professional education course led by global nursing leaders at UCSF. Cultural humility is an essential competency for nurses, as it empowers them to foster equitable partnerships and promote sustainable initiatives when working with global colleagues. This training helps participants identify and address their own biases while providing strategies to mitigate power imbalances in crosscultural interactions. In September 2024, Silvers was invited to present a workshop based on this course at the International Council of Nurses’ Advanced Practice Nursing Meeting.

CGN also actively engages in impactful global partnerships, including a collaboration with the AMPATH Consortium nursing team in Kenya. CGN members provide one-on-one virtual mentorship to Kenyan nurse leaders, focusing on clinical research and quality improvement. The objective of this partnership is to strengthen local health care systems and empower nurses to lead meaningful change within their communities.

Learn more about the Center for Global Nursing.

The Center for Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is the deadliest infectious disease in the world, with more than a million people dying from the disease globally each year. The UCSF Center for Tuberculosis (CTB) serves as the scientific and collegial home for TB investigators at UCSF. Its mission is to facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration and mentor the next generation of TB scientists. The center brings investigators together for cutting-edge research and training, and improves TB practice and policies while spanning the TB bench to clinical sciences. Investigators at CTB study global health delivery, economics and diplomacy, innovative diagnostics, treatments and vaccines to improve TB prevention and control worldwide.

The center’s director, Payam Nahid, MD, MPH, is also the executive director of IGHS, joining these two powerhouses in global health. Nahid is joined by CTB co-directors Elizabeth Fair, PhD, MPH, professor at the UCSF School of Medicine and director of education at IGHS; Rada Savic, PhD, MS, professor at the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences; and Babak Javid, PhD, MB, associate professor in the UCSF Division of Experimental Medicine.

Some of the CTB leadership that were gathered at the World TB Day Conference are pictured above from left to right: Patrick Phillips, PhD, MS, MA, co-director of UC TRAC Clinical & Population Health Science; Priya Shete, MD, MPH, co-director of UC TRAC Clinical & Population Health Science; Devan Jaganath, MD, MPH, CTB Pediatric TB chair; Gustavo Velasquez, MD, MPH, CTB diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging chair; Elizabeth Fair, PhD, MPH, co-director, CTB. Photo by Cindy Chew

CTB is also the operational hub of the UCSF-UC Berkeley Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center (UC TRAC), one of six centers funded by the National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to support the development of new-to-TB and early-career tuberculosis investigators to increase the vibrancy of TB research in the Bay Area, throughout the University of California and globally. UC TRAC is co-directed by Nahid and Jeff Cox, PhD, professor at the UC Berkeley Department of Molecular and Cell Biology.

Over fifteen investigators affiliated with CTB are part of the SMART4TB Consortium, a $200 million global consortium to develop new diagnostics, therapeutics, containment and control strategies to reduce the suffering from TB worldwide. The consortium is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by Johns Hopkins University. UCSF-led projects include large therapeutics and diagnostic trials spanning over 10 international partner sites.

Learn more about the Center for Tuberculosis.

The Health and Human Rights Initiative

Much of the world is facing a refugee crisis. Last year, 110 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to fears of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and more, according to the United Nations. At the Health and Human Rights Initiative (HHRI), which recently joined IGHS’ Center for Global Health Delivery, Diplomacy and Economics, multidisciplinary members multidisciplinary members of the UCSF community come together to help refugees and asylum seekers access the care and resources they need to live safe and fulfilling lives.

HHRI’s core program is providing forensic medical and mental health evaluations, which can be instrumental in helping asylum seekers find safety in the United States. HHRI trains UCSF faculty and trainees in performing these specialized examinations and leads national and international training programs to expand capacity in this area. Clinician sat HHRI meticulously document evidence of the physical and psychological manifestations of torture and ill-treatment experienced by individuals applying for asylum or other forms of humanitarian protection in the U.S. Without these forensic medical evaluations and a lawyer, the national rate for granting asylum to seekers is 15 percent. Through HHRI’s clinic, the grant rate is 100 percent.

“HHRI bridges the global and local,” said Triveni DeFries, MD, MPH, executive director of HHRI and assistant clinical professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. “We use our clinical expertise right here in the Bay Area to document human rights violations. A grant of asylum can be lifesaving for those fleeing persecution based on their race, religion, political opinion, gender, nationality or sexual orientation.”

Learn more about the Health and Human Rights Initiative.