UNC-Chapel Hill is committed to improving health in North Carolina and around the world. The UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases (IGHID) seeks to advance this goal by promoting global health research, teaching, and service activities across campus. IGHID recognizes that the most pressing health challenges and emerging diseases know no boundaries: global health is local health. IGHID fosters an environment in which faculty, students, and the broader university community work together in unique and innovative ways to address critical issues in global health, and to shape the next generation of global health leaders.

 

OUR PROGRAMS

The Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases (IGHID) fosters a collaborative environment in which faculty, students, and the university community partner to find innovative ways to address critical issues in global health and to shape the next generation of global health leaders.

IGHID’s diverse programs and initiatives support the three core missions of the university: research, teaching and service.

Because it draws on expertise across the campus, including all five health affairs schools and the College of Arts & Sciences, the institute is a powerful and effective instrument for integrated, interdisciplinary study and solutions.

 

Africa

UNC’s presence in Africa has a varied and long history. Faculty and students are engaged in research, teaching and service activities in over 20 African countries. From poverty to health care delivery, infectious diseases to land use, social justice to education, UNC has partnered with community organizations, NGOs, and local and national government to address Africa’s most critical issues.

Student interest in Africa has increased markedly, and the number of students participating in study abroad programs in Africa has more than doubled in the past five years. As one of the few universities in the Southeast with an active commitment to African-American studies, UNC has a unique environment and many opportunities for productive collaboration among scholars in African and African-American studies.

Health-related programs are the foundation of UNC’s work in Sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria in Malawi, TB in the Democratic Republic of Congo, surgery in Uganda, water and sanitation in Ghana, and HIV/AIDS across sub-Saharan Africa are the subject of some of the university’s health initiatives.

In Africa as elsewhere, UNC is committed to long-term growth and capacity-building. IGHID is training a growing number of African health care professionals in both Africa and the United States to increase local knowledge and ensure sustainable programs.

 

Asia

Asia is quickly becoming Carolina’s largest area of growth in terms of global research partnerships and educational programs. Students are traveling to and studying in Asia in unprecedented numbers, and there has been a dramatic rise in student interest and demand for Asia-related courses. To meet demand, UNC is recruiting new faculty with Asian expertise and planning a graduate program in Asian studies.

Global health is one of UNC’s existing strengths in Asia, particularly China. Infectious disease faculty, for example, have been working in China since the country opened to the West. Health and migration, heart disease, nutrition, obesity, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections are all areas of focus for UNC health affairs faculty and their Chinese partners.

With China as one of its target regions, IGHID is actively cultivating new interdisciplinary partnerships on campus, bringing together medicine, dentistry, economics, and business in a variety of China-focused initiatives.

 

Latin America

Latin America is recognized as one of UNC’s global strengths. On campus since 1940, the Institute for the Study of the Americas (ISA) has been a cornerstone in promoting a deeper understanding of the Americas through innovative research, curricular development, and creative public policy initiatives.

In terms of global health, cross-campus research, teaching, and service collaborations in Latin America are deeply rooted in UNC’s academic culture.

Within this environment, the Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases is committed to fostering new collaborations and creating opportunities for synergistic programs to improve the health of all citizens in Latin America.

IGHID has significant involvement in programs in Guatemala and Nicaragua, while the campus as a whole has global health activities all across Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.