News
HIV/AIDS Among Refugees: A Hidden Global Health Crisis
December 3, 2024
World AIDS Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the strides made in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Yet, amidst the focus on progress, the plight of refugees is often overlooked. Dr. Kaveh Khoshnood, has led critical research at the intersection of HIV/AIDS and global displacement, offering valuable insights into what he calls a global health and human rights failure.
California Funding for Injectable PrEP to Combat HIV/AIDS
December 2, 2024
The California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP) based at the University of California Office of the President, prioritizes ways to get long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) out to the community efficiently and effectively. Learn more about a new project based at UCSF that aims to reach under-resourced communities in Sacramento and Fresno Counties.
GloCal Alumna Schola Matovu, PhD, RN Earns Prestigious K01 Award and Fellowship Recognition
December 2, 2024
We are very pleased to share that Schola Matovu, PhD, RN, a distinguished 2021-2022 GloCal Health Fellow, has achieved remarkable milestones in her career in gerontological nursing and her work to alleviate social injustices such as poverty, gender and health inequalities in the global community.
Indigenous Healthcare Workers Take the Lead in HEAL Southwest Leadership Program
November 4, 2024
A new HEAL program, the HEAL Southwest Leadership, launched in August 2024 and provides an 18-month fellowship led by and designed for Indigenous healthcare workers serving the Navajo Nation and other communities in the Southwestern United States.
Reproductive Health in Refugee Camps: A Lifeline Amid Compounded Crises
November 4, 2024
Every crisis tells a story of resilience, but for refugee women, the stakes are even higher. Fleeing war, poverty, and persecution, they carry not just their belongings but the burden of navigating fragmented health systems that often fail to address their sexual and reproductive health needs.
Improving Water and Sanitation Access in California and Around the Globe
October 3, 2024
There have been major improvements in access to water and sanitation globally, such as increased sanitation and water treatment services. However, an estimated 25% of households worldwide still do not have reliable access to safe drinking water, and 46% lack adequate sanitation.
The Silent Crisis: Why Mental Health Must Be Central to Humanitarian Aid for Refugees
October 2, 2024
In recent decades, the global refugee crisis has escalated dramatically. Conflicts are lasting longer, displacing more people for extended periods. Chronic underfunding leaves critical services, including mental health support, dangerously underfunded.
Formalizing Farm Labor Research Between Mexico and California
September 18, 2024
Mexico and California have been bound together historically before there were borders that delineated a colonial separation. That connection continues today and never more deeply than through agriculture.
Expanding Latinx Representation in the Environmental Sciences Across the University of California
September 16, 2024
As Dr. Federico Castillo reflected on the paucity of researchers of color in the environmental health field, he aimed to change that starting at the University of California system. The result was the formation of Latinxs and the Environment, which Dr. Castillo, colleagues, and students founded in 2017 at UC Berkeley and expanding to other UC campuses.
GloCal Fellows Attend Global Health Summer Institute at UAB
July 31, 2024
Three GloCal Health Fellows from the new 2024-2025 cohort were excited to attend the first annual Sparkman Center for Global Health Summer Institute at the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB).
The Food Security Solution We Have Been Waiting For
June 24, 2024
According to the Los Angeles County Food Equity Roundtable report, low-income communities of color, including Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and Native American communities, experience up to three times the rates of food insecurity in LA County.
Healthcare accessibility for small-scale extractive based communities: An unmet need
June 4, 2024
Accessing healthcare services in a timely and convenient manner is crucial for the wellbeing and continued good health of populations. Yet, many populations worldwide experience difficulties in accessing healthcare services.
Mutual Aid Now: Global Health Equity Through the Lens of Grassroots Community Organizing
June 4, 2024
The state of global health equity seems to be overwhelmed with bleakness. We are witnessing a lack of equity, community, and care.
Exploring Family Planning among Immigrant Communities in California
June 4, 2024
The unmet need for family planning remains high, particularly among marginalized communities.
Ecocide in Gaza: Israel's genocide in Gaza will create an unprecedented environmental health crisis
June 4, 2024
The relentless assaults on Gaza have not only caused immense human suffering but have also inflicted severe and lasting damage on the environment, transforming the region into a toxic wasteland.
The Public Health Crisis of Honor Killings and Gender-Based Violence in Pakistan
June 4, 2024
The idea that the loss of honor can forever damage a soul and reputation has bled into the ideologies and standards of Pakistani immigrants, following them into their new lives even miles from their homeland.
UCGHI Student Ambassadors from Multiple UC Campuses Collaborate in Santa Barbara County’s Latinx and Indigenous Migrant COVID-19 Response Task Force
May 30, 2024
The Santa Barbara County Latinx and Indigenous Migrant COVID-19 Task Force was convened by the Santa Barbara Public Health Department (SBPHD) and was co-founded by Dr. Van Do Reynoso, Former Director of the SBPHD, and Dr. Melissa Smith, Director of UC Santa Barbara Health Equity Initiatives and Associate Director of the UCGHI Center for Gender and Health Justice with funding from the SBPHD and the Santa Barbara County Foundation Roundtable.
UC Global Health Day 2024 Closing Plenary Speaker Dr. Frank Mugisha’s Tireless Fight for LGBTQ+ Rights
May 30, 2024
We were honored to have Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), human rights champion, and anti-violence advocate, Frank Mugisha, PhD, as our Closing Plenary Speaker at UC Global Health Day gathering at UCLA on March 7th, 2024. Recently, Dr. Mugisha was recognized as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. He has risked a great deal in his life in the name of human rights. Yet, as Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote about him for TIME, “In the face of death threats and intimidation, of lost jobs and lost friends, and as one of the few out gay people in Uganda, Frank Mugisha has never backed down from fighting for LGBTQI+ rights.”
SHINE Strong Fosters the Next Generation of Trans and Queer Researchers
May 30, 2024
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded SHINE Strong program is the first training and mentoring program committed to long-term development of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) behavioral scientists with expertise in trans population health. The program, co-founded by UCGHI Center for Gender and Health Justice Associate Director, Sean Arayasirikul, PhD (they/them), engages undergraduate students in HIV prevention and trans and nonbinary scholarship.
Regional Scientific Workshop Held at Hanoi Medical University
May 10, 2024
An Asia regional scientific workshop for trainees affiliated with GloCal and other Fogarty LAUNCH programs was held at Hanoi Medical University (HMU) in Vietnam between May 8-10, 2024.
Former GloCal Fellow, Dr. Karla Rascon-Garcia, Begins Postdoctoral Position at Duke Global Health Institute
April 30, 2024
Karla Rascon-Garcia, PhD, an infectious disease epidemiologist and network science modeler, began a postdoctoral position at the Duke Global Health Institute on April 15th, 2024 where she will work under the mentorship of Dr. Steve Taylor and Dr. Wendy Prudhomme-O’Meara.
Amplifying Asian Immigrant Women Voices through a Study on Sexual and Reproductive Health Experiences
April 30, 2024
Dr. May Sudhinaraset and her colleagues launched the NIH-funded Bridging communities Raising API Voices for health Equity (BRAVE) Study, the first study to collect national data on the sexual and reproductive healthcare experiences of Asian immigrant women.
New UCGHI Advisory Council Members Representing Local and Global Regions of the World
April 30, 2024
Since the UC Global Health Institute was established, an advisory council (AC) of representatives across the University of California system has been essential to providing guidance on our strategies and priorities. Until recently, our AC has included a representative from each UC campus. This year, we welcome a new cadre of representatives from around the world as our regional members.
Eight University of California Students Selected for the Center for Gender and Health Justice Summer Internship Opportunities Program
April 22, 2024
Eight University of California students from four campuses (UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Berkeley) have been selected to participate in the UC Global Health Institute (UCGHI) Center for Gender and Health Justice’s (CGHJ) Internship Opportunities Program. This opportunity not only highlights the caliber of talent students hold at the University of California but also underscores UCGHI’s commitment to fostering future leaders in the field of global health and the CGHJ’s mission to support student involvement in reducing gender and health disparities globally.
The One Health Workforce Academies Creates Global Academic Connections in an Interdependent World
March 27, 2024
A global collaborative, transdisciplinary, and multisectoral public health initiative, the One Health Workforce - Next Generation was created to bring public health professionals and researchers around the world together to focus on the interconnection of the health of animals, people, and the environment.
The Power of Storytelling at UC Global Health Day 2024
March 12, 2024
Rohan Radhakrishna, MD, MPH, MS–Chief Equity Officer and Deputy Director of The Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH)–opened UC Global Health Day 2024 emphasizing the power of storytelling in our work as health professionals. It is a part of relating our work to the lives of the people we work for and within our communities. “We need to acknowledge and reflect, have language that's inclusive, include narrative and storytelling, have an intersectional approach and have diverse messengers and diverse platforms to reach people and rebuild trust,” he said.
UC Global Health Day Speakers Show How Health Professionals Can Make Change through Policy and Advocacy
March 12, 2024
On Wednesday, March 7th, nearly 500 committed health professionals and learners gathered from across California and around the world at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in-person and many people tuned in online for the 10th UC Global Health Day.
Four GloCal Fellows Attend an Implementation Workshop in Accra, Ghana
February 27, 2024
Three GloCal fellows and one GloCal Fulbright-Fogarty fellow joined other current Fogarty LAUNCH fellows in attending an implementation science workshop in Accra, Ghana from Feb. 19-22.
Maternal Health Rights for Farmworker Women: Teaching and Research for Action
February 1, 2024
In the heart of Santa Barbara County, amidst the agricultural landscape, pregnant farmworkers face a myriad of perinatal health risks.
How Midwifery is Essential to Black Maternal Healthcare
February 1, 2024
As we celebrate Black History and Futures Month, we also celebrate the work organizations like CHOICES are doing to improve Black maternal health outcomes in the U.S. CHOICES demonstrates that culturally relevant, community-based, affordable, midwifery centric reproductive care is the key to improving Black maternal health.