Director’s Message

Welcome to our new global health website!  This website is an evolving space created and launched by a collaborative effort from the UBC Medicine Global Health Initiative and the Division of Global Health.  We are proud to state that all the images showcased on this site are photographed by our UBC students and faculty members. We welcome your contributions to website content to help grow this space into an even more useful and inspiring resource.

Globalization has led to a heightened awareness of social accountability, of acting towards equity and of the importance of reducing health disparities. One manifestation is an increased demand for education and learning experiences in global health. In the TREK 2010 plan, UBC recognized this trend with a commitment to strengthening global awareness on campus and to increasing international learning opportunities as a way of fostering global citizenship.  Moving forward,  our UBC President is committed to “increasing the capacity of UBC students, faculty, and alumni to engage internationally” and “strengthen UBC’s presence as a globally influential university”.

Within the School of Medicine, existing educational and service programs have been making outstanding commitments to increasing awareness and understanding of global health issues and to improving the health outcomes of low income communities. Yet, many of these initiatives exist in isolation and this lack of meta-organization hinders their momentum and sustainability. As a result, opportunities for effective inter-disciplinary collaboration are often missed.

Medical students and residents are the driving force behind developing global health educational programs that will enable them with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to engage in meaningful, ethical, and sustainable global health work.  It is their vision and the commitment of dedicated faculty members that is behind the creation of a Global Health Office which will strengthen the Faculty of Medicine’s role as part of a transforming force in global health at UBC. This, it will achieve by providing opportunity, support, and guidance for education, research, and service activities at UBC, which should lead to improved sharing of resources, reduced duplication of efforts, and enhanced interdisciplinary partnerships. Furthermore, through these activities, the Office will aim to promote social accountability towards creating equity and reducing health disparities within our global community. The approach to building the Global Health Office focuses on contributing to and strengthening existing programs and initiatives.

The Division of Global Health aims to develop a shared vision of Global Health programming for the Faculty of Medicine and is pleased to launch this new website.  This website is a working space to promote global health activities and events, share ideas, pose questions, disseminate information, host online discussions, lectures, and courses, and provide information on how to get involved.  Our global health team welcomes your thoughts and suggestions and any content you wish to share on the website.

Videsh Kapoor

on behalf of the the Division of  Global Health and Global Health Initiative