Frequently Asked Questions
What is Global Health?
What does the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) do?
What makes DGHI unique?
Where does DGHI work?
Does DGHI do any work in the U.S.?
What research does DGHI focus on?
What global health education programs does DGHI offer?
Does DGHI offer global health education programs for non-Duke students?
Who governs DGHI?
How does DGHI work with other centers and institutes at Duke?
Does DGHI appoint faculty?
What is the difference between a DGHI Member and a DGHI Affiliate?
How do I find out who is involved in global health at Duke?
How can I get global health experience abroad?
Does DGHI offer financial assistance for off-campus global health experiences?
I am a student. How can I get involved in global health at Duke?
I am a faculty member at Duke. How can I get involved in global health?
What is Global Health?
Global health is a field of study, research and practice that places a priority on achieving equity in health for all people. Global health involves multiple disciplines within and beyond the health sciences, is a synthesis of population-based prevention with individual level clinical care, promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, and emphasizes transnational health issues and determinants.
At Duke, we focus our global health efforts on reducing health disparities—situations in which some populations are more vulnerable to poor health than others. These health disparities are highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, but also exist within developed nations and our own community. In researching and responding to these health disparities, we focus on the biomedical aspects of diseases, the local and global determinants and public policies that influence these diseases, and the organization of preventive and curative services that seek to alleviate them.
What does the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) do?
DGHI brings together faculty, staff and students at Duke University to address health disparities. We facilitate interdisciplinary research, education, policy and service in global health by working closely with all nine schools at Duke (undergraduate, graduate and professional).
Our goals are to:
• train the next generation of global health scholars
• encourage innovation and promote excellence in global health research
• respond to the policy needs of decision makers around the world
• undertake service in global health in the context of research and education
• facilitate access to current information on global health.
What makes DGHI unique?
DGHI is unique in its ability to address global health issues with resources and expertise from the entire university. DGHI is not contained within any specific school or department at Duke, but rather brings together faculty and students from many schools and makes use of multiple perspectives in its education and research programs. For example, our working group on pediatric obesity research is looking at this global problem from the viewpoints and disciplinary approaches of psychologists, economists, nutritionists, public policy scholars, geneticists and physicians.
Where does DGHI work?
DGHI works locally, nationally and internationally. We are committed to creating strong partnerships with local institutions around the world that combine our research, education, policy and service efforts.
For example, DGHI is currently collaborating with institutions in China, Singapore, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Haiti.
We are also pursuing collaborative partnerships in Cost Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, Russia and other countries where Duke faculty have ongoing research, education, policy or service activities and interests.
Does DGHI do any work in the U.S.?
Yes. DGHI has a strong commitment to reducing health disparities in our local community and in our nation. Our Center for Health Policy provides the foundation for much of our research into health disparities in the U.S.
What research does DGHI focus on?
At the core of the Institute’s research efforts are our six Signature Research Initiatives:
• Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease
• Global Aging
• Gender, Poverty and Health
• Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Global Environmental Health
• Health Systems Strengthening
DGHI addresses these areas from a broad, multidisciplinary perspective. We expect individual projects in these areas to include faculty from more than one department or school at Duke.
What global health education programs does DGHI offer?
DGHI offers a broad spectrum of educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, professional, and postdoctoral level. All of these programs stress the interdisciplinary perspectives needed to tackle global health issues. Current programs include:
• Global Health Certificate (for undergraduate and graduate students)
• Health Policy Certificate (for undergraduate and graduate students)
• Focus Cluster on Global Health (for first- and second-year undergraduates)
• Master of Science in Global Health (pending approval by the Duke Board of Trustees)
• Third-Year Global Health Study Program (for medical students)
• Global Health Residency (for physicians engaged in post-graduate medical training at Duke)
• Postdoctoral Training
In addition to these formal educational programs, DGHI collaborates with professional schools at Duke to develop or strengthen their existing curricula in the area of global health.
Does DGHI offer education programs for non-Duke students?
DGHI has partnered with the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund to create the NC Health Disparities Fellowship for mid-level health professionals. This program aims to engage talented public health and social work professionals in ongoing efforts to decrease health disparities in North Carolina.
DGHI also offers lectures and seminars that are open to the general public, including the University Seminar on Global Health. This seminar series brings world-renowned researchers and experts to Duke each month to share their expertise and to engage faculty, students and community members in rich dialogue and debate about critical global health issues.
Visit our calendar for a list of upcoming events.
Who governs DGHI?
DGHI is an interdisciplinary, strategic initiative of Duke University and its Medical Center. DGHI Director Michael Merson reports to the University Provost (Peter Lange) and to the Chancellor for Health Affairs (Victor Dzau).
DGHI has a 20-member Executive Committee composed of faculty members from across the university. The Executive Committee advises the Institute on its programmatic priorities, faculty recruitment and strategic endeavors. Executive Committee members serve two-year terms. They are appointed by the Chancellor for Health Affairs and the Provost of the university.
In addition to the Executive Committee, the Institute receives advice from a Deans’ Council composed of the deans of all nine schools at Duke.
How does DGHI work with other centers and institutes at Duke?
The mandate for DGHI is to facilitate and coordinate global health efforts at Duke. To accomplish this, we work with faculty and administrators from other centers and institutes at Duke. In some cases, we have created formal partnerships with existing programs at Duke to build and strengthen global health activities and collaborate on new ideas and projects.
Current institutional partners include:
• Center for Health Policy
• Duke Human Vaccine Institute
• Engineering World Health (Duke Chapter)
• Engineers Without Borders (Duke Chapter)
• Hart Leadership Program (Sanford School of Public Policy)
• Global Health Fellows Program in Geneva (Sanford School of Public Policy)
• Health Sector Management Program (Fuqua School of Business)
• Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health
• Program on Global Health and Technology Access
• School of Nursing’s Office of Global and Community Health Initiatives (OGACHI)
In addition to these formally documented partnerships, we work closely with other health-related or interdisciplinary centers at Duke. These include:
• Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)
• Duke Center for International Studies (DUCIS)
• Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI)
• Duke Translational Medicine Institute (DTMI)
• Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy (IGSP)
• Kenan Institute for Ethics
• Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS)
• Social Science Research Institute (SSRI)
• Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities and History of Medicine
Does DGHI appoint faculty?
The Duke University Board of Trustees has granted DGHI the authority to give academic appointments to regular rank non-tenure track faculty, and to non-regular rank faculty. Our DGHI Members are the governing body that votes on faculty appointments at DGHI.
What is the difference between a DGHI Member and a DGHI Affiliate?
DGHI has two formal levels of faculty involvement:
• DGHI Members are Duke faculty who have agreed to contribute substantially to the Institute’s work and mission and have a long-term commitment to the Institute. Each DGHI Member serves a three-year (renewable) term.
• DGHI Affiliates are Duke faculty who collaborate with the Institute on a specific project. Affiliates serve one-year (renewable) terms.
Current DGHI Members elect new Members and Affiliates.
DGHI Members and Affiliates receive assistance with grants management, assistance with international services, and access to the Institute’s communications, fund-raising and special events services. DGHI also fosters the intellectual community of global health among Members and Affiliates by hosting special events and providing opportunities to meet with DGHI special guests.
How do I find out who is involved in global health at Duke?
On our website, we maintain a list of Duke faculty who are involved in global health efforts at Duke. This list includes DGHI Members, DGHI Affiliates, and other faculty members who are involved in global health education, research, policy or service projects.
How can I get global health experience abroad?
DGHI works with international partners as well as with other Departments and units at Duke to develop fieldwork projects for Duke students. Learn more about fieldwork projects and internship opportunities on our website.
Does DGHI offer financial assistance for off-campus global health experiences?
DGHI has a competitive grant process for student global health fieldwork projects and for student conference presentations. Undergraduates also may apply for funding from DukeEngage.
I am a student. How can I get involved in global health at Duke?
• Subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter to find out about events and opportunities
• Join the Global Health Facebook group
• Enroll in a Global Health (GLHLTH) course
• Enroll in the Global Health Certificate
• Join a student group involved in global health efforts locally, nationally, or internationally
• Attend a University Seminar on Global Health and take advantage of the special student conversation opportunities with world-renowned researchers and experts in global health (contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Education Program Coordinator, for details)
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I am a faculty member at Duke. How can I get involved in global health?
• Subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter to find out about events and funding opportunities
• Join the Global Health Facebook group
• Consider teaching a course for the Global Health Certificate or Master’s in Global Health, or serve as a global health mentor (contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Assistant Director for Education and Training, for more information)
• Share your expertise in global health by agreeing to have your information listed on the DGHI website (contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Assistant Director for Communications, for more information)
• Contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), MD, Associate Director for Research, about possible research opportunities in your area of study
• Attend the University Seminar on Global Health series and engage in multi-disciplinary discussions with local, national, and international leaders in global health