What is Global Health?
Health transcends borders, peoples, and governments. Our world today is an increasingly interrelated global community. The diseases that threaten the citizens of Georgia do not respect geographical boundaries. Modern transportation allows infections to cross borders quickly, and a globalized food system raises the risk of widespread contamination.
The emergence of infectious agents resistant to current antibiotics and treatments increases the threat of worldwide pandemics. Non-infectious diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and asthma are now dominating all societies, wealthy or poor.
In a globalized and interconnected world, protecting the public will require unprecedented international cooperation, a constant search for best practices in health delivery, and innovative solutions through strategic partnerships and collaboration.
About the Global Health Institute
The University of Georgia Global Health Institute (GHI) provides an academic home for global health research and training initiatives of the College of Public Health and other programs at UGA that engage faculty and students in dynamic public health collaborations involving global partners
For students at UGA, the Institute offers coursework in global health and the opportunity to earn a certificate or minor in the field. Students participate in lectures, symposia, and other opportunities to interact with experts and other students in the field. Students are also encouraged to participate in international research programs.
Finding solutions to international public health problems through research activity and engagement promotes the kind of learning needed to prepare a new generation of public health professionals for careers worldwide.
Our Mission
The mission of the Global Health Institute is to create equity in health for people around the world. Health is not just the absence of disease but the wellness that allows an individual to live a full and productive life within his or her own social and cultural context.
The mission of the Institute extends beyond the individual to populations, or the public’s health, endeavoring to promote the health of people and the communities where they live. The Global Health Institute achieves its mission through global health research and the application of scientific discoveries, undergraduate and graduate education programs, and service activities that promote global health.
