The UO is expanding its global service outreach with the new Center for Global Health. Launched in May, it will support a wide range of scientific, educational, and service-oriented initiatives designed to understand and ameliorate the world’s most challenging health and social problems.

“UO students have long sought meaningful work that makes a difference in the world. Today, many of our brightest students see global health as a calling. UO faculty have responded, and the Global Studies Institute is keen to support research, travel, internships and community building around this critical 21st century challenge,” said Dennis Galvan, vice provost for international affairs and head of GSI.

The new center will provide a unifying framework for students, staff, and faculty across the university dedicated to improving health and well-being through education, research and training, and service in partnership with communities in the United States and around the world. It is co-directed by four professors representing different disciplines: Jeffrey Measelle (Psychology), Josh Snodgrass (Anthropology), Janis Weeks (Biology), and Kristin Yarris (International Studies).

Weeks, whose research is funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, says the center aims to catalyze new advances in global health.

“Student interest has driven this initiative from the beginning,” she said. “UO students from many disciplines—in CAS and the professional schools—appreciate the importance of advancing health and wellness, from the level of our local Oregon communities to a global scale.”

For more information visit the new Center for Global Health.