Challenge Groups

Collective Solutions for Complex Problems

Challenge Groups comprise faculty from across the University of Michigan who share similar or complementary expertise and interests. These interdisciplinary communities explore potential partnerships and projects that align with their respective interests, with an eye toward collaborations that carry the greatest potential for impact.

All Michigan faculty are welcome to engage in the Center's Challenge Groups. Reach out to a Center program manager or faculty co-leader to learn more and become involved. There are currently four active Challenge Groups within the Center.

View upcoming Challenge Group Meetings.

Climate Vulnerability and Health

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

  • Faculty Leads: Sue Anne Bell (Nursing) and Joseph Eisenberg (Public Health)
  • CGHE Project Manager: Kristina Rice, klrice@umich.edu
Rooftop tinaco in Mexico

Data Science in Global Health

Cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence might be developed in high-resource settings, but their impact doesn’t have to end there. Explore how the newest technologies might be applied in comparatively low-resource settings to improve health and healthcare.

  • Faculty Leads: Amy Pienta (Institute for Social Research) and Akbar Waljee (Medicine)
  • CGHE Project Manager: Kristina Rice, klrice@umich.edu

Learn More about the Center's Data Collaborative.

Farhana Alarakhiya speaks at a retreat focused on designing the Center’s new Data Collaborative

Designing for Impact in Global Health

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

  • Faculty Lead: Paul Clyde (Business/William Davidson Institute) and Lee Schroeder (Medicine)
  • CGHE Project Manager: Christabel Sefa, csefa@umich.edu
Impact Design

Empowering Women and Communities

This group aims to create a space where researchers, public health practitioners, community partners, and others can learn from one another, seek support, and push forward a meaningful agenda focused on understanding, measuring, intervening upon, and assessing the impact of empowerment on health in low-resource global communities.

  • Faculty Leads: Gary Harper (Public Health) and Cheryl Moyer (Medicine)
  • CGHE Project Manager: Christabel Sefa, csefa@umich.edu
Becky and Caroline in Kisumu, Western Kenya LBQT Feminist Forum

Communities of Practice

All areas of academic study and research can be part of the global health equity movement. New interdisciplinary communities of practice centered on our thematic areas can be formed at any time. If you would like to propose a new Challenge Group, contact a project manager to develop your idea: