Through a generous gift and endowment from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and complementary Washington State resources, the UW Department of Global Health  was established in 2007, bridging the schools of Medicine and Public Health, with a mandate to harness the expertise and interdisciplinary power of all 16 UW schools and colleges. 

Driven by tremendous interest among both students and faculty, the Department has grown explosively to more than 340 graduate students in our degree, certificate, and fellowship programs; almost 300 undergraduates in our new Global Health Minor, and approximately 1,000 other students who will take global health courses again this year.

Today, the Department of Global Health is the second largest department at the University in terms of funding for research and training programs, and includes 31 centers, programs, initiatives, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).  We have more than 250 faculty and 1,200 faculty working on projects around the world. Our current and emerging focus areas include: health metrics and evaluation, infectious diseases, workforce development, health system strengthening and implementation science, climate change, global trauma and violence, global medicines safety, and a strong cross-cutting focus on social justice and equity.

 

WHAT WE DO: COORDINATE, CONNECT, AND CATALYZE

The center manages the Department's funding and fieldwork opportunities, provides career advice and information referral, and develops tools to disseminate information about global health activities both here and abroad.

The center also coordinates several events, including activities with the Washington Global Health Alliance, such as its monthly lecture series and organizes the Western Regional International Health Conference

 

PARTNERS AND AFFILIATIONS

The Department of Global Health works with more than 190 partners throughout the world. Here in Seattle, the Department is a member of the Washington Global Health Alliance, which includes a host of partners with extensive expertise and experience in global health, including PATH, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, the Infectious Diseases Research Institute, the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association, and Washington State University’s School for Global Animal Health.

Overseas, we partner with more than 20 ministries of health, more than 50 foreign universities and hospitals, more than 65 NGOs, and at least nine multilateral organizations, such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization. We also partner with more than a dozen U.S. universities. 

And at UW, the Department is a role model for interdisciplinary partnerships by working across campus with the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Pharmacy, Nursing, Business, Law, Engineering; the College of Built Environments; the College of the Environment; and the Departments of Anthropology, Communication, and Epidemiology.                  

Among our key Partners & Affiliations:

-Washington Global Health Alliance	-Global Washington
-UW Office of Global Affairs	-Global Health Education Consortium
-UW Global Operations Support	-Consortium of Universities for Global Health

 

CENTERS

• Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) led by King Holmes, MD, PhD, involves more than 300 UW and affiliated faculty and research scientists through 10 research cores and three scientific programs.
• Global Center for Integrated Health of Women, Adolescents and Children (Global WACh) led by Grace John-Stewart, MD, MPH, PhD, is a collaboration among UW's departments of Global Health, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and institutions in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mexico, and Peru.
• Global Health Resource Center (GHRC) led by Daren Wade, MSW, is the main networking vehicle for the Department of Global Health.
• Health Alliance International (HAI) led by Stephen Gloyd, MD, MPH, focuses on improving structures that lead to health disparities.
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)  led by Christopher J.L.  Murray, MD, PhD, has attracted a talented core researchers to answer three critical questions: What are the world's major health problems? How well is society addressing these problems? How do we best dedicate resources to maximize health improvement?
• International Clinical Research Center (ICRC) led by groundbreaking international clinical trials leader Connie Celum, MD, MPH, is conducting multiple clinical trials throughout Africa related to the prevention of HIV.
• International Training & Education Center for Health (I-TECH) is a collaboration between the University of Washington and University of California, San Francisco, working in partnership with local ministries of health, universities, NGOs, medical facilities, and other organizations to support the development of a skilled health care workforce and well-organized national health delivery systems. I-TECH has offices throughout Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean and is led by Ann Downer, MS, EdD, at UW, and Michael Reyes, MD, MPH, at UCSF.