SPRING 2023

“Global Health at a Crossroads: Equity, Climate Change and Microbial Threats” was the theme of the 2023 CUGH conference in Washington, D.C., in which nearly 2,000 attendees from over 65 countries attended. Michael Reid, MD, assistant professor of medicine, co-director of STRIPE HIV, director of the IGHS Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and a former co-chair of the IGHS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee received the Thomas Hall-Nelson Sewankambo Mid-Career Leadership Award. The award recognizes excellence in global health education, research, advocacy and service; working with colleagues in resource-poor settings; and strong leadership. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reid has significantly expanded training and education activities for public health workers in San Francisco and throughout California. We joined our colleagues in congratulating Reid on this outstanding recognition.  

Pamela Murnane, PhD, assistant professor at IGHS and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, was named one of this year’s Equity Scholars, recognizing her work on preventing transmission of HIV from mom to baby in resource-constrained settings, specifically Kenya. 

As the spread of malaria has slowed and many countries have begun to try to eliminate it altogether, chronic malaria has gained attention. Michelle Hsiang, MD, MS, and her NIH-funded randomized clinical trial in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, could transform what we know about this chronic disease.

Naomi Beyeler, MPH, MCP, and Marco Schäferhoff, PhD, a principal at Open Consultants, make the case that global climate change funds should support health and that global health funds should support efforts to address climate change.

Jamen Garcia, MS '17, at her capstone location—the world renowned Eye Care Hospital in Madurai, India. Photo by Paul Joseph Brown

Earlier this month, 29 students from the Masters of Science in Global Health program embarked on their capstone research projects. They will conduct studies in ten countries, including the United States, with faculty mentors and international and domestic partners. Topics include the mental health needs of migrant populations seeking asylum, technological interventions to reduce malaria transmission, methods to achieve 90-90-90 HIV targets and more. Several students will share their experiences via Instagram, so please follow us at @ighsatucsf. And save the date of July 24 for the students' final capstone oral presentations at the UCSF Mission Bay Byers Auditorium.

Photo by Susan Merrell

Do you know someone poised to be a leader in global health? Please encourage them to apply for the Master of Science in Global Health program at UCSF. We are accepting applications for fall 2023; the deadline to apply is June 15. To learn more about this transformative one-year program, please join us for a virtual information session on May 25.

Sonam Kumari, MS '22, on right, standing next to her mentor Robin Goldman, MD, MPH, at CUGH

Five students from the Global Health Sciences PhD and MS programs presented academic posters or gave oral presentations at the 2023 Consortium of Universities for Global Health conference. Sonam Kumari, MS ’22, shared her experience and photos on Instagram.

May 17, 9:00–10:00 a.m. PT

UCSF Mission Bay, Rock Hall Auditorium (and via Zoom)

Lucía Abascal Miguel, MD, MS, PhD Candidate in Global Health Sciences, presents her doctoral dissertation about interventions to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among vulnerable populations and effective strategies to promote health equity during public health emergencies.

May 22, 12:00–1:00 p.m. PT

UCSF Mission Bay, MH-3700 (and via Zoom)

Dr. Omoluabi, seasoned global health investigator, UCSF collaborator and executive director of Akena+ Health in Nigeria, will present a practical field guide on conducting a representative sample survey in low-resource settings.

• Course Director, Socio-cultural and Behavioral Determinants of Health, MS in Global Health           
• Course Director(s), Global Health Economics, MS and PhD in Global Health
• Director of the Global Portfolio, Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
• Hard-To-Reach (H2R) Populations Training Program

UCSF has two websites to connect researchers and collaborators with information and others doing work worldwide: 

• International Research and Support Operations enhances UCSF’s health research globally by providing structured operational and administrative support to faculty, staff and partners to execute projects while managing risk and navigating challenges efficiently.
• UCSF Global Hub helps find people, programs and resources for advancing health worldwide. 

• Information Session for the UCSF Master of Science in Global Health (recorded April 11, 2023)
• Webinar: Closing the financing gap for climate change and health: mobilizing synergistic funding (recorded March 30, 2023)
• In conversation with Anthony Fauci, MD and Eric Goosby, MD (recorded March 7, 2023)

IGHS PhD candidate Canice Chrisitan presented her dissertation, "Application of individual-level and health-system-level implementaion science approaches to HIV and TB prevention in Uganda," at Byers Auditorium on April 28.

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The Hard-to-Reach (H2R) Populations Training Program will train scholars and mentors on state-of-the-art methods for sampling, population size estimation, bias analysis, and engagement of hard-to-reach populations in behavioral, social sciences, and clinical research.

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During National Volunteer Week, IGHS volunteered at the San Francisco Marin Food Bank. Over 30 staff and faculty bagged 697 food bags. The food will go to seniors, families and folks who are homebound. Roughly 1 out of 5 of our neighbors is food insecure.

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