The UCGHI Student Ambassador Blog is where UCGHI students bring you a fresh perspective on the world's current events and news through the lens of passionate and insightful student writers. UCGHI believes that the student voice is powerful, and by amplifying their diverse voices, we can foster meaningful discussions and contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the pressing issues of global health, gender justice, planetary health, one health, and health equity.
UCGHI Student Ambassadors Pursue Bold Summer Goals in Global Health
By Laila Soudi
June 03, 2025
From maternal health in rural India to environmental justice in Southern California, UCGHI Student Ambassadors are applying their skills to address the world’s most pressing health challenges. As the summer begins, these students are charting paths shaped by personal experience, global awareness, and a commitment to health equity.
Expanding Latinx Representation in the Environmental Sciences Across the University of California
By Elizabeth Doerr
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.
The Food Security Solution We Have Been Waiting For
By Kimberly Uehisa
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
By Natasha Glendening
June 04, 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
By Mira Gupta
June 04, 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
By Isabella Jacques
June 04, 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
By Noor Badri
June 04, 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
By Nadia Miller
June 04, 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
By Stephanie Sumstine-Felice
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.
Household air pollution exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes of children from HAPIN India cohort
By Suvarna Kantipudi
January 17, 2024
Exposure to the household air pollution (HAPIN) is a leading health risk in populations in LMICs and accounts for an estimated 2.3 million premature deaths annually and 91.5 million disability-adjusted life years.
Time to treat: Using circadian medicine for infectious diseases
By Rushlenne Pascual
December 18, 2023
During my MPH, I joined the Rijo-Ferreira lab and spearheaded an original research project exploring the applicability of circadian medicine to treat malaria.
Impact of telehealth in a student-run Shifa Community Clinic during Covid-19 pandemic and post COVID
By Laila Zaib
December 18, 2023
The Impact of Crowd-Control Weapons on Healthcare Delivery and Mental Health in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Provider Perspectives
By Maha Zubaidi
December 18, 2023
My capstone research project focused on the impacts of crowd control weapons (CCWs) on the Palestinian population in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including civilians and healthcare providers (HCPs).
Barriers to Resettlement Services Access for recently resettled Afghan Refugees in the Sacramento area of California: A Qualitative Study of Providers` Perspective
By Sima Naderi
December 18, 2023
I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan during a political crisis in 1996 when the Taliban seized control of the government.
Understanding AANHPI Food Security in O’ahu, Hawai’i: Research Reflections
By Preeti Juturu
December 14, 2023
Deeper Than Race: How Reluctance to Examine Black American Diversity Obscures the Maternal Health Crisis
By Mariah Jiles
April 05, 2023
The UCGHI Student Ambassador Program’s Personal and Professional Impact
By Elizabeth Doerr
October 25, 2021
UCGHI Student Ambassador Program Offers Students Leadership and Career Training in Global Health
By Alexis Stanley
January 08, 2021
Ambassador Program Prepares Future Leaders in Women’s Health and Planetary Health
By Jessica M. Scully
July 07, 2020
Four UC students reflect on their UCGHI Student Ambassador Program experience earlier this year. Ambassadors select between two areas of focus linked to the two centers of expertise within UCGHI: Women's Health, Gender, and Empowerment (WHGE) Center of Expertise and Planetary Health Center of Expertise. The program provides a leadership opportunity for students at all educational levels across the 10 UC campuses.