News

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the Universitas Syiah Kuala and the University of Michigan has co-designed a robust project to promote vaccine equity and uptake in Indonesia.

As he steps down from his role as senior associate dean for education and global initiatives, longtime educator, researcher, clinician, and global health leader Joseph Kolars was honored by the U-M.

Heather Tucker has spent years studying gender, equity, and health and is working to refine the application of feminist participatory methods in low- and middle-income settings.

Uttam Sharma has done extensive work on impact evaluations of global development work in Bangladesh, Kenya, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda—particularly as they relate to educational outcomes.

A team focused on women’s health was named the winner in the 2023 Global Health Commercialization Competition sponsored by the William Davidson Institute and the Center for Global Health Equity.

Center member Akbar Waljee, an accomplished physician-scientist in healthcare innovation around the globe, has been named to the fully endowed Lyle C. Roll Medical School Professorship.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the African Population and Health Research Center and U-M has co-designed an ambitious project to promote vaccine equity in Kenya and Uganda.

Center member Diane Harper has been elected to the Association of American Physicians for her outstanding accomplishments to transform primary care.

Center director Joseph Kolars discusses with Rwandan Minister of Health Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana Rwanda's current efforts to strengthen its healthcare system, including significant expansions of the health workforce and international partnerships.

Matthew Boulton, Pearl L. Kendrick Collegiate Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, has been named associate director of the University of Michigan Center for Global Health Equity

The U-M Center for Global Health Equity has awarded $1.9 million to two research teams working in Indonesia, Kenya, and Uganda to develop novel health solutions that advance vaccine equity.

The Center's Distinguished Seminar Series concludes the academic year with Amina Abubakar, professor of Psychology and director of the Institute for Human Development at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, discussing her experiences in Kenya that led to her focus on neurocognitive and mental health outcomes for children.

In March, the University of Michigan hosted a wide-ranging celebration of global health work across the university, including a celebration of the Center’s history, early successes, and ongoing work.

The annual Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) conference kicks off mid April and highlights many University of Michigan presenters.

What’s different about Michigan’s approach to global health? We are partnering differently, supporting a movement, maximizing resources, and dreaming big. Hear more from our Center directors and read our inaugural impact report.

Center member Carina Gronlund has been named a 2023 NIH Climate Health Scholar, joining this inaugural cohort of scientists working on projects that seek to reduce health threats from climate change, especially among those at highest risk.

Aga Khan University’s broad collaborations with the Center and other U-M collaborators continued in February 2023 with a series of meetings in Nairobi to advance the cutting-edge UZIMA data science.

In Center member Ravi Anupindi’s Innovation in Global Health Delivery course, interdisciplinary student teams design solutions for global health inequities in low- and middle-income countries.

Gary Harper has been named an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to undergraduate education.

Mousumi Banerjee's trip to India, her home country, in spring 2021—when the country was ravaged by its worst Covid wave—was the first time she truly saw the human side of the data she engages daily as a biostatistician.

The Center's Distinguished Seminar Series continues with Richard Adanu, rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, discussing his extensive experience as a physician, clinician, and leader in global health and medical education.

Impact Scholar Ryan Rego was in Bangladesh recently, working with research partners to lead a large study on vaccine hesitancy. They hope their work will support improved healthcare, access, and communication around vaccines leading to increased uptake and reductions in vaccine-preventable diseases.

Siobán Harlow arrived at Michigan Public Health with a new vision for global health. A seminal workshop in Mexico, the first-ever meeting to address occupational risks to human reproduction in that country, had inspired her.

There is no time like the present to take an unflinching look at the real climate dangers human society is facing, say editors from 17 leading African health and medicine journals.

As health research is done in more connected ways, global health research is striving to become a more equitable space, including thinking more carefully about authorship in academic publications.

Too little is known about how and when experienced engineering designers incorporate contextual factors into their designs. A team of U-M researchers has been studying how context informs design.

Center member Lindsay Kobayashi uses a range of health sciences as well as the social sciences to study cognitive aging in South Africa, developing evidence to inform policies that provide economic improvement to rural households.

A new U-M collaboration aims to help partners in Rwanda launch a comprehensive kidney transplant program, the country’s first. Colleagues from King Faisal.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and can cause cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine is highly effective, but we need more than the vaccine to prevent this infectious disease and the cancer it can cause.

The Center's Distinguished Seminar Series continues with Mousumi Banerjee, professor of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health, discussing the transformation in how she understands her role in global public health.

An international team of researchers has received an NIH grant to address major gaps in population-level data on aging in Kenya, one of Africa’s most populous nations.

Center staff, faculty, and other associates were in Rwanda this month to connect with community and research partners around the country. Meeting in person with global partners is vital to advancing the Center's collaborative approach to global health work.

Few at Michigan have engaged with, worked alongside, and accomplished more on behalf of the region’s most vulnerable than Williams, founding director of the Global Health and Disparities Path of Excellence.

Recent U-M research sheds light on the healthcare challenges faced by southeast Michigan’s immigrant population and the policies that impact health-seeking behaviors among the undocumented.

Dr. Patricia García opens our 2022-2023 Distinguished Seminar Series—Journeys in Global Health Equity: Distances Traveled by Luminaries in the Field—with a discussion of lessons learned across her career as a woman leader in the field.

Center member Timothy Johnson is receiving the President's Award for Distinguished Service in International Education for his work to advance international education and outreach for students.

Two Center members have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the highest honorary society in the country for researchers in the fields of health and medicine.

Three Center members are receiving awards this fall in recognition of their notable contributions in the areas of teaching, mentoring, service, and scholarship.

Recent publications from University of Michigan researchers demonstrated increased attendance, reduced carbon footprint for academic conferences.

In the early days of COVID-19, the sudden influx of patients stressed already limited healthcare resources. As hospital and care centers struggled to respond to the crisis, Michigan Medicine turned to telehealth technology.

Can social infrastructure help reduce the burden of depression? Researchers from Nepal and the University of Michigan say community-level social support can reduce mental health burdens in high-stress environments at a population level.

When Ryan Rego visited family in Pakistan as a child, he wondered why he had to be so careful about what he ate and drank. This unpleasant but effective introduction to health inequity led Rego to study gastric conditions and diseases.

In Kenya, where access to COVID-19 vaccines was limited, the nuances of hesitancy are influenced by cultural beliefs, the structure of the country’s healthcare system, and misinformation on social media among other factors.

A group of prominent global health researchers recently offered their collective thoughts what exactly global health equity is what the term should encompass. Their proposed definition focuses partnership, process, and products.

The Community-Centered Development Project in Uganda sits at the intersection of public health, economics, and political economy.

The next session of the Global Health Research Certificate Program kicks off this fall and is open to any U-M faculty, fellow, resident, or PhD student interested in establishing or expanding their research activities in an international setting.

A program that provides U-M trainees with opportunities for extended mentored research training experiences abroad will continue, following a recent federal grant renewal.

Is Africa ready for artificial intelligence? Collaborators from Aga Khan University (AKU) in Kenya and the University of Michigan believe so.

Biomedical wonders alone cannot end pandemics. Social aspects of health drive pandemics and must be addressed in preventing and ending future crises. Proximity to others and caring for them deeply, says Joia Mukherjee, should always be our first step.

Tachi Yamada changed the face of the pharmaceutical industry and along with it the trajectory of global health. Tachi was a beloved mentor, undaunted advocate, and committed philanthropist. His commitment to advancing health in low- and middle-income countries continues to inspire a movement.

Human health is more than what we can define using studies and metrics, says Leon Espira. Our health is a reflection of our interactions with others as we seek better lives for ourselves and our loved ones.

Nine Center for Global Health Equity members were approved for promotion to the ranks of professor and associate professor at the May meeting of the University of Michigan board of regents.

HaEun Lee spent years observing how she was perceived and treated, especially as a woman. Her research aims to empower women and change social contexts so that we value women and their health more in all the decisions we make.

Geoffrey Siwo recently came to U-M and is helping to develop the Center’s new Data Collaborative. Siwo will focus on harmonizing and interpreting data in new ways and ensuring data can be used by those who need it most.

Dr. Lukoye Atwoli leads mental health research locally and globally as an accomplished expert in psychiatry and joins us in Michigan this spring for two events.

Geoffrey Siwo spent most of his life in Africa, a place with tremendous possibility for fast growing tech and scientific work. Siwo brings interests in computational biology, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology to the Michigan campus.

Not all research approaches are alike, including those that seek to involve communities. Join a conversation that centers the voices of our community partners and their University of Michigan partners on how we can co-design and co-create more effective research.

The University of Michigan is seeking nominations for the Thomas Francis Jr. Medal in Global Public Health, one of the highest recognitions granted by the university.

The annual Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) conference kicks off next week and highlights many University of Michigan projects.

The Ideas Lab Researchers brought together researchers from 13 units across all 3 Michigan campuses for intensive collaborations around increasing vaccine equity globally.

Widespread vaccination is a pillar of outbreak control for a variety of diseases. But few resources are available to assess how vaccine presentation and target population characteristics affect coverage rates. How can more vaccines become vaccinations?

In helping families complete recommended vaccination schedules, vaccine hesitancy leads to reductions in vaccine coverage and outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease. In urban settings around the world, hesitancy trends should be followed closely.

In sub-Saharan Africa, some of the highest rates of childhood death coincide with low vaccination schedule completion. Timely vaccinations increase protection and indicate whether a child will complete the full schedule of recommended shots.

AKU has received a $6.5 million NIH grant to establish a cutting-edge data science hub. Funding from the Center supported the initial partnership, which has broad implications for technologies.

The pandemic is providing opportunities to understand more fully the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy and its relationship, in multiple contexts, to the social determinants of health that lead individuals toward or away from access and vaccine acceptance.

Over 400 million COVID cases—including nearly 6 million deaths worldwide—have led to incalculable costs and profound disruptions to our lives. What can be gained from the pandemic’s spotlight on vaccines that will help us help more people?

Center staff, faculty, and other associates are in East Africa this month to connect with community and research partners in Uganda and Kenya. Meeting in person with global partners is vital to advancing the Center's collaborative approach to global health work.

How are we building equitable partnerships that provide a strong foundation for impactful research in health equity? A conversation on the developing partnership between Aga Khan University and the University of Michigan’s Center for Global Health Equity.

Many of the partnerships the Center is developing in Africa begin in Kenya, including several with Aga Khan University—a force in global health equity with campuses in multiple countries and a mission to advance marginalized populations.

Center affiliates are in East Africa this month to connect with community and research partners in Uganda and Kenya. The delegation began in Uganda, where COVID is playing out in ways rather different from what we’ve seen in the US.

Living through the pandemic has taught us some valuable lessons about how to live through uncertainty and prepare for it. Bhramar Mukherjee writes on the biggest lessons and what she thinks 2022 will bring.

Dr. Amy Pienta’s global work focuses on the demography of aging and retirement and health in later life, including a large research project that focuses on building data infrastructure to study populations of people living with HIV throughout the world.

For more than two decades, Paul Clyde has worked with dozens of companies experimenting with different business models in low- and middle-income countries.

Technology finally caught up with Akbar Waljee’s desire to conduct meaningful global health work in his native Kenya.

Understanding local resources, needs, and ways of life is a critical first step in developing global health research initiatives. How does ethnography offer unique insights into local contexts? And how can we better incorporate the voices and expertise of global partners in framing research questions?

The Center for Global Health Equity invites faculty proposals for the next round of Challenge Group Grant funding.

Faculty from public health, public policy, business, and other research areas will guide the Center's upcoming Vaccine Equity Ideas Lab.

What are the key opportunities for us to advance vaccine equity around the globe and what are the most pressing challenges? A wide-ranging discussion of vaccine equity and the difficulties it poses, with voices from public health, policy, medicine, and business.

What do we mean by "equity" in global health? Where and how can academic institutions redefine their roles in advancing global health? Join us for a virtual conversation about new approaches and perspectives from communities directly impacted by this work.

Center director Joseph Kolars reflects on the importance of Tachi Yamada's pioneering work in health and medicine, his commitment to global health equity, and what it means to lose this leader and mentor at this time.

The Center welcomes its inaugural cohort of Impact Scholars, early-career researchers who will help develop projects that advance sustainable research and global health goals.

The School of Public Health’s Matthew L. Boulton oversaw the latest edition of a book widely recognized as among the most comprehensive and informative volumes on public health.

Cheryl Moyer’s extensive body of research exploring neonatal and maternal mortality in Ghana garners attention in a top medical journal.

Aga Khan University and the University of Michigan have agreed to deepen their collaboration across a range of academic and scientific initiatives to transform data science for global health.

Colleagues from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research present on the Chitwan Valley Family Study, a decades-long, comprehensive family panel study of individuals, households, and communities in the Chitwan Valley of Nepal.

Held virtually for the time ever because of the pandemic, this year's annual Consortium of Universities for Global Health meeting was the largest ever, with more than 2,000 participants joining, including a record number of participants from LMIC settings.

Systems designed in and for high-resource settings don’t always translate in other parts of the world. How can we reduce morbidity and mortality through the development of scalable models that strengthen the commercialization and implementation of global health technology?

CUGH 2021: University of Michigan Participants Round-Up

With a request from the Rwandan Ministry of Health as a case study, associates of the Center for Global Health Equity discuss how we can receive and prioritize collaboration requests from prospective partners abroad.

The health of communities is dependent on—and inseparable from—the health of their environment. The Climate Vulnerability and Health Challenge Group is exploring how environmental, societal, and health factors are connected and how influencing one can positively impact the others.

A global problem demands an international approach. U-M researchers across the university engaged in meaningful collaborations around the world.

The Empowering Women and Communities Challenge Group aims to advance the empowerment and health of women and their communities in low-resource communities.

Cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence might be developed in high-resource settings, but their impact doesn’t have to end there. What role might data science play in global health and LMIC settings?

A discussion about the formation of the new Center for Global Health Equity and planned efforts to address health inequities in LMICs.