October 2022 Newsletter

LETTER FROM OUR NEW DIRECTOR

Madhavi Dandu, MD, new UC Global Health Institute Director

As a lifelong student and educator, the Fall season has always been my version of the new year. It is a wonderful time for reflection and new beginnings. This school year, I have the special honor of starting as the new Director of the UC Global Health Institute. After officially starting on July 1st, I have spent the last three months learning—about all of the wonderful work of UCGHI’s centers, programs, and people.

In this special edition of the newsletter, we will highlight just a few of the amazing projects at the Institute. I have listened to recommendations for new projects, programs, and ways to better connect within and beyond our existing community as well as strengthen existing projects and programs. I also have the pleasure of transitioning into this role just as UCGHI has transitioned officially into its new home in the UC Office of the President under the University of California Health division. Working with the University of California Health team has been an honor.

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Update on our Programs & Initiatives

Center for Global Health Education

In May 2022, UCOP issued a call for proposals under the Digital Inclusion initiative of UC Online. UCGHI’s education program collaborated with UC Center Sacramento to submit a proposal for a course entitled Global Health in the California Context, which emphasizes inclusive and diverse participation in global health education. In addition, we submitted a proposal to broaden the reach of best practices and professional development for digital inclusion among all faculty members who have developed and implemented UCGHI Online courses.

GloCal Health Fellowship

The GloCal Health Fellowship is a 12-month, mentored research fellowship for investigators interested in studying diseases and conditions in developing countries. A career development fellowship sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty International Center (FIC), this program supports awarded fellows from all 10 UC campuses as well as 21 affiliated LMIC sites across 17 countries. Submit your application by November 1, 2022.

Student Ambassadors Program

The Student Ambassador Program is a global health learning and leadership program that supports diversifying the global health workforce by providing professional and networking opportunities to students within the University of California and partnering with Historically Black College & University, Charles R. Drew University. This program was piloted by the Centers for Planetary Health and Gender & Health Justice and through its success, we have significantly scaled the program. To date, we have 250 student ambassador alumni and a new cohort of 57 students who started in September 2022 representing all ten UC campuses and Charles R. Drew University.

Master's Student Stipend Program

We are committed to supporting current University of California Masters students from historically excluded communities with a $5000 research award to support their graduate projects. Research projects that are transdisciplinary with respect to local or global health OR focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in local or global health will receive the highest preference. UCGHI is centering a pivotal value in our mission which is to diversify the global health workforce by providing supplemental funding opportunities for Masters level students from historically excluded communities such as BIPOC and First Generation students. Submit your application by October 31, 2022.

Center for Planetary Health

Planetary Health leadership from UC Berkeley and UC Riverside collaborated with their campus faculty and received $342,000 from the UCOP Doctoral Diversity Initiative proposal call grant for the next 4-years to expand Latinx and the Environment (L&E) activities to UC Riverside. In addition, in partnership with the Latinx Research Center L&E at UCB has been selected to receive $500,000 from the State of California via a one-time budget allocation. This California-focused program is complemented by the ongoing international USAID One Health Workforce - Next Generation Project that engages over 100 universities across 17 countries in Africa and Southeast Asia to use a team-based One Health approach in addressing global threats, funded at

$12 million per year.

Center for Gender and Health Justice

The CHAT Study is a patient-centered study that aims to assess the safety, effectiveness, and acceptability of medication abortions provided by telehealth among over 3,000 patients. Preliminary findings suggest that telehealth for abortion can effectively address the surges in demand for abortion in protected access states, which is especially important given the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. Telehealth for abortion can reduce delays to care and help people get an abortion as early as they want. Global College Campus Violence Prevention (GCVP) Network students were paired with GCVP-N global university partners to foster international, student-led movements addressing violence on college campuses. SAB monthly webinars launched in March 2022.

Center for Health Workforce Equity

The Institute is thrilled about our new partnership with the HEAL Initiative and they will be leading the new Center for Health Workforce Equity. The HEAL Initiative has 179 fellows and alumni from 19 sites across 9 countries and Navajo Nation and is the largest transnational global health fellowship in the country, and one of the only majority BIPOC programs.

Advances in Global Health

In collaboration with UC Press, UCGHI launched a new open-access, peer-reviewed online research journal called Advances in Global Health. The journal focuses on advancing health equity throughout the world and decolonizing and democratizing global health. We do this by primarily publishing transdisciplinary research conducted by researchers from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and creating more accessible pathways for publication.