Bridging Local and Global: How UCGHI Is Strengthening Health Workforce Development Across California
While global public health is often associated with international settings, it also encompasses local contexts. From social determinants of health to impacts of climate change, the drivers of global health outcomes are equally present in California’s own communities. Based at the University of California Health Division at the University of California Office of the President, the University of California Global Health Institute (UCGHI) is committed to training and mentoring the next generation of health workers to meet California’s growing and evolving health needs. This fall, UCGHI’s Centers and Programs continue to make a tangible difference across the state by investing in education, mentorship, and hands-on training to cultivate a health workforce that reflects the diversity of California’s population and is prepared to address emerging and complex health challenges in California and globally.
Training Frontline Health Workers in Rural Regions of California
UCGHI’s Center for Health Workforce, also known as the UCSF HEAL Initiative, believes the most effective way to address health disparities is by supporting healthcare workers who are rooted in the communities they serve. This fall, the inaugural cohort of the California HEAL Program had their kickoff meeting in Fresno, California. This unique interprofessional program, with hubs in Fresno, San Diego, and the Inland Empire, brings together physicians and local healthcare professionals (i.e., social workers, community health workers, behavioral health specialists) serving resource-denied communities across California to build connections, share knowledge, and co-lead health systems improvements. During this one-year program, fellows participate in immersive training in systems thinking and collaborative practice grounded in real-world local contexts while continuing to provide necessary clinical care.
California HEAL Fellow, Esmeralda Martinez, grew up in a family that used one of the only free clinics in San Diego. Now a UCSD graduate student and social worker at the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project, Esmeralda’s lived experience allows her to connect with patients on a personal level, recognize barriers to care that outsiders might overlook, and create solutions that reflect the community’s needs. She notes that connection to the community one works with is imperative. “There is a saying in Spanish, ‘Lo que no se ve, no se sente,’ which translates to, ‘What you cannot see, you cannot feel,’” says Esmeralda.
Esmeralda reflects on how communities across San Diego face unique health challenges. “The high cost of living exacerbates individual stress, poor nutrition, and continuity of care….and is worse among low-income individuals, immigrants, and the unhoused.” The California HEAL Program provides meaningful training for fellows like Esmeralda as they develop advocacy, leadership, and structural competency skills to address gaps in healthcare in their region and beyond. “I want to learn how to design interventions and influence institutional change to create a patient-centered healthcare environment.” Esmeralda’s story highlights how investing in community-rooted health workers can strengthen trust, improve care, and create lasting impact.
Esmeralda Martinez (middle; wearing black glasses) with fellow California HEAL Fellows engaged in a breakout activity at the California HEAL Program kickoff meeting in Fresno, California. [Image credit: Kialani Mackey]
California HEAL Fellows engaged in discussion at the kickoff meeting in Fresno, California. [Image credit: Kialani Mackey]
Engaging University of California Undergraduate and Graduate Students
UCGHI continues to cultivate pathways into global and public health careers for University of California students.
UCGHI Center for Planetary Health Summer Immersion Program
The UCGHI Center for Planetary Health (CPH) Summer Immersion Program is a partnership with the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension to support students with a mentored internship to learn about real-world situations relevant to livestock health, crop production, community outreach, and planetary health. The program has supported 85 students since 2017 from multiple University of California campuses—UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. This fall, 17 undergraduate and graduate-level students from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, and UC Santa Cruz completed their internships. Internship projects ranged from creating bilingual educational materials to engage farm and dairy workers in sustainable production systems, analyzing drinking water disparities in rural counties in California, advancing access to nutritional foods, and more.
Meet third year environmental studies student at UC Santa Cruz, Dhalia Krishnan, who worked with Dr. Brian Woodward on a field surveying project where they identified the locations of an invasive tree pest in the Felton and Santa Cruz regions and developed outreach materials for monitoring and management.
Latinxs and the Environment Multi-Campus Initiative
Latinxs and the Environment (L&E) was established at UC Berkeley in 2017 by Co-Founders Dr. Lupe Gallegos Diaz and UCGHI CPH Deputy Director, Dr. Federico Castillo. The initiative expanded to UC Riverside in 2022, led by UCGHI CPH Co-Director, Dr. Samantha Ying, and Dr. Laura McGeehan with four years of funding from the UC Office of the President Hispanic-Serving Institution Doctoral Diversity Initiative (UC-HSI DDI) to enhance diversity at the faculty level and to strengthen bridges to the professoriate for students in California. The program has since expanded to UC Davis and UC Merced.
On October 24, 2025, the UC Riverside Latinxs and the Environment chapter held their second research conference at the Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts in Downtown Riverside. The conference, “Environmental Research and Social Change - Connecting the Latino Community with Future Generations,” had 105 attendees and served as an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to present their mentored research projects and learn from researchers across the UC system, local leaders, and community members working to address issues impacting Latinx communities.
The conference was not only well attended by the academic community, but attendees were able to meet and learn from government workers such as the Mayor of the City of Riverside and UC Riverside alumna, Patricia Lock Dawson, a government scientist and wildlife biologist who has made significant policy impacts in conservation, habitat, and infrastructure projects in the Inland Southern California region.
“I hope that students take away from this conference a sense that they belong in the world of research, and a sense of inspiration and empowerment to go forward and use their research to make a difference in their community….as future scientists and policy makers who have built lasting relationships with fellow researchers and community members,” says Dr. McGeehan who was instrumental in conference planning.
Reflecting on the impact of the conference, Dr. McGeehan states, “I hope that the wider community will have a better understanding of how we can bring together faculty, students, staff, local leaders, and community members to address important issues of climate change and other environmental concerns. We hope to showcase the breadth and depth of research being done across the UC system, and the potential for significant impacts that will improve the lives of Californians statewide.”
Third year undergraduate student at UC Riverside, Amy Adriana Guillén, presenting her research poster at the 2025 L&E Conference. [Image credit: UC Riverside Academic Prep, Recruitment, & Outreach]
Riverside-based mariachi band, Mariachi Juarez, performing at the 2025 L&E Conference in Downtown Riverside. [Image credit: Latinxs and the Environment Riverside]
Looking Ahead: Investing In a Healthier California
As UCGHI plans for 2026, the Institute is continuing its investment and focus on California’s communities by expanding mentorship, training, and career pathway programs. These efforts connect learners at all levels to global health education and local hands-on experiences that bridge the classroom and community and demonstrate how lessons of global health can apply powerfully at home.
Learn more about UCGHI training initiatives by visiting our website and stay tuned for an announcement for a virtual UC-wide 2026 UCGHI research conference on the intersection of water and health!
Additional UCGHI Education and Training Initiatives
- UCGHI Summer Researchers in Global Health [High School Students]
- UCGHI Global Health Online Courses [Undergraduate Students]
- UCGHI Student Ambassador Program [Undergraduate and Graduate Students]
- UCGHI Center for Gender and Health Justice Internship Opportunities Program [Undergraduate and Graduate Students]
- UCGHI Global Health Fellowship [Doctoral Students, Professional Students, and Postdoctoral Fellows]
The perspectives shared by California HEAL Fellows, student interns, and UC Riverside faculty are those of the individuals’ and may not be the opinions of the clinics/institutions they work at.