Global Health

HPM has a long history of involvement in global health research, teaching, and service activities, with current faculty concentrations in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Many graduate students enter the department after education or work experience abroad and focus their studies on global health issues. Current and recent students have health project experience in countries including Botswana, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Moldova, Niger, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan. Programs for studying global health at HPM include the Master's Degree Concentration in International Health and Population and the Graduate Certificate in International Development. The Office of Global Health offers the Graduate Certificate in Global Health and lists International Health courses at UNC. Many doctoral students also conduct research on global health issues, and there is a wide variety of funding options to support international fieldwork. A wealth of global health opportunities are available to faculty and students beyond the classroom. The Office of Global Health coordinates activities within the School of Public Health, and the Center for Global Initiatives coordinates many university-wide activities. The Center provides additional support for the approximately 2000 international students, faculty, and academic staff at UNC-Chapel Hill. Several HPM faculty and students are fellows of the Carolina Population Center, which includes over 50 faculty and 40 predoctoral trainees from around the university working collaboratively on dozens of population and health research projects in developing countries. Other campus organizations involved in global health include the School of Medicine's Office of International Affairs, and the INTRAH project which since 1979 has won over $200 million dollars of USAID contracts to provide health sector assistance to over 40 countries throughout the world. The Triangle area also includes numerous research organizations with large-scale global health activities, such as Family Health International and Research Triangle Institute. Master's Degree Concentration in International Health and Population  This concentration requiring a minimum of two graduate courses in international health and/or population studies, is designed for MPH, MSPH or MHA degree students interested in gaining some depth in these fields. Please see our Residential Master's Program Page for more information on degree programs. Student Internships in Global Health As part of their degree programs, graduate and undergraduate students in HPM are required to complete summer internships in some type of healthcare organization. Many students have chosen to perform internships outside of the United States in countries such as India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Mozambique, Romania, and Greece. Depending on the availability of resources, funding may be available to assist students with at least part of the cost for travel and living expenses in connection with a summer internship outside of the United States and Canada. World Health and Population Journal This on-line, peer review, interdisciplinary journal, sponsored by the department, is devoted to policy and management issues in health and population fields in developing countries. It primarily publishes articles based on empirical research. Its overall character is marked by serious, responsible and readable scholarship of interest to academicians, policy makers, program managers and donors. To visit this journal go to http://www.longwoods.com/home.php?cat=381. Services for Overseas Students This loosely structured program is meant to provide a variety of services to students from other countries, especially those interested in Global Health. These range from discussion of career options, selection of courses, internship placements, effective use of University resources, financial problems, and performance in courses taken to other matters of concern. A Sampling of HPM Global Health Faculty Deborah Bender, PhD, MPH, is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management and a Fellow at the Carolina Population Center. Her research interests focus on reproductive health and use of preventive health services for Latina women in the Americas. She has worked extensively in the Andean countries of Latin America, where she has collaborated with colleagues at the University of San Simon in Cochabamba, Bolivia since 1986 in community based research that addresses the relationship between migration status and use of health services. In the United States her research focuses on immigrant Latina populations in North Carolina, investigating the "birthweight paradox." Using participatory research methods, she and co-investigators have trained Latina women as community photographers to assist in identifying resilience and risk factors for this population. Her work is characterized by the integrated qualitative and quantitative models of research. Through this linkage, her findings have enriched the validity of women's explanations and strengthened the generalizability of findings related to specific reproductive issues. In addition, these same findings enable health service providers to make improvements in quality of health services delivery, thus improving health outcomes. Bruce J. Fried, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Director of the Residential Master's Program. He has been involved in healthcare management education in a variety of countries for over fifteen years. Under the auspices of the International Clinical Epidemiology Network, he taught a variety of short courses and workshops to directors and others associated with clinical epidemiology units in developing countries. He also continues to be involved in management training with Project Hope, and for several years has taught courses for senior and middle managers in central and eastern Europe. Dr. Fried has a special interest in the Canadian healthcare system, having been a faculty member at the University of Toronto for seven years. Dr. Fried has been a consultant to USAID, PAHO, and other organizations in a variety of health system reform activities. He is co-editor with Laurie Gaydos of the book, World Health Systems: Challenges and Perspectives, published (in 2002) by Health Administration Press. Dean M. Harris, JD, is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the UNC School of Law. In addition, he serves as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Economics and Management in the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University. Professor Harris received his B.A. degree in Asian Studies from Cornell University in 1973, and received his J.D. degree with high honors from UNC School of Law in 1981. He is the author of Contemporary Issues in Healthcare Law and Ethics (2nd edition), which was published by Health Administration Press in 2003. His primary research interest is health care law and regulation in developing countries, with particular emphasis on the People’s Republic of China. He has recently completed an article on the legal system for handling medical accidents in China, and is currently writing about the need to appropriately regulate the privatization of public hospitals in China. Peggy Leatt, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management. She teaches and conducts research in strategic planning and management, health services restructuring and health services research. She was previously at the University of Toronto where she was Chair of the Department of Health Administration, Faculty of Medicine (1988-98) and Principal Investigator for the Hospital Management Research Unit funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. From 1998-2000 Peggy Leatt was seconded to the Ontario Health Services Restructuring Commission, an independent body created to introduce health reform in the province of Ontario. During her time with the Commission policy reports were produced for the Government of Ontario on primary health care, Academic Health Science Centers, rural hospital networks, health system performance measurement, information management, and vertically integrated health systems. In addition to her expertise in Canadian health services, she has experience in teaching and research interests in health systems in the UK and Sweden. Shoou-Yih Daniel Lee, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management. He received his M.S. Degree in Public Health from National Yang-Ming University of Taiwan, and received his PhD in Health Services Organization & Policy from the University of Michigan. His research interests include healthcare organization and delivery, organizational change, organization studies, social networks and social capital, health professions, and health care utilization. He has conducted research on the health care system of Taiwan, including the effect of global budgeting on the use of dental services and distribution of dentists in Taiwan. Thomas C. Ricketts, PhD, is Professor of Health Policy and Administration and Deputy Director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. He works with the federal and regional health care systems in Russia and other nations that were formerly part of the Soviet Union to assist them in transitioning to more market oriented delivery structures. Dr. Ricketts also develops health workforce plans for nations in the Caribbean working with the Pan American Health Organization. Other global health work includes acting as a consultant to agencies and organizations in France on the problems of the distribution of health care resources and quality of care in small rural hospitals. Sally Stearns, PhD, is Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration. She has provided health economics training as part of the International Clinical Epidemiology Network, and has supervised work by students on various topics relating to global health, ranging from education interventions for asthma management in India to social health insurance in Colombia. She is currently working with faculty at the Dugald Baird Centre for Research on Women's Health at the University of Aberdeen to evaluate interventions to reduce maternal mortality in developing countries. Content for this page provided by the Department of Health Policy and Management. Please contact the webmaster with any questions or comments on content. For admission questions, please contact the HPM Student Services Office. For questions or problems with the online admissions form, contact the Graduate School.

Last updated August 06, 2008