Photo courtesy of International Surgical Health Initiative
Global Health at Rutgers
Many faculty across Rutgers pursue research that impacts the health of vulnerable populations, and a variety of courses, concentrations, and fieldwork exposes students to issues affecting the health of communities. There are global health centers and offices within the New Jersey Medical School, the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the School of Nursing, and the School of Public Health, dedicated primarily to enhancing awareness and learning. In addition, Rutgers Global, the universitywide international affairs unit, serves as a resource for centers and offices involved in global health.
In spring 2017, a universitywide faculty survey uncovered 653 global health projects in 114 countries and demonstrated that at Rutgers, engagement in global health reaches beyond medicine and the health professions into the natural and social sciences, the humanities, business, and engineering.
The Rutgers Global Health Institute was initiated by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences to promote and coordinate this work across the entire university.
Our Mission
At Rutgers Global Health Institute, we improve the health of the most vulnerable populations and develop solutions to critical health problems worldwide. By bridging Rutgers’ diverse strengths, we advance collaborative research, build community-driven partnerships, and expand global health education across fields and professions.
Advancing Collaboration
Addressing global health problems requires an understanding of the many factors that affect health in a given community. To ensure a broad, multidisciplinary approach, we are establishing working groups focused on addressing global health challenges in areas where Rutgers has a high potential for impact. We also administer seed grants and pilot funding that reward interprofessional approaches and encourage broader participation in global health research, education, training, and service.
To facilitate connections and access to current information on Rutgers’ global health involvement, we are building a web-based resource to house existing global health projects, coursework, training, research, and practical experiences across the university.
Building Community-Driven Partnerships
For our work to have meaningful and lasting impact, it has to make sense for the communities involved. We focus on listening, assessing needs, working hand-in-hand to build and implement solutions, and developing lasting relationships.
We establish strategic, long-term partnerships that match Rutgers’ strengths with the needs of populations, and that create opportunities for mutual learning and growth.
Rutgers has existing alliances with international organizations and higher education institutions around the world and a network of health partners throughout New Jersey and the region. The university and its surrounding communities are also rich in immigrant populations, and opportunities for bidirectional learning and impact are immense.
Expanding Global Health Education
Engaging students and developing future global health leaders is paramount in our work. We aim for students across Rutgers to become engaged global citizens, and to bring a priority for solving health inequities into many different careers. We are assessing existing global health programs, coursework, and training, and creating a central resource to house this information. We are also identifying needs for the creation of new training, coursework, and degree programs.