At the start of the 2018 academic year, the Department of Global Health (DGH) welcomed 75 new graduate students – 56 in the MPH program and 19 in PhD programs. These 75 incoming students are from 17 countries, and join the 130 continuing students already enrolled in the DGH MPH and PhD programs. In addition, more than 200 students are enrolled in the undergraduate minor, certificates, and medical pathway programs in global health.

Exciting new developments in global health academic programs include the undergraduate 'Public Health - Global Health' degree. UW School of Public Health’s popular public health major has been renamed the “Public Health—Global Health Major” to better reflect its domestic and global competencies. 

“The name change better reflects the emphasis on global health that exists within the major, as well as the multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to population health that the program has had since its inception,” said Sara Mackenzie, director of the undergraduate program and senior lecturer in health services.

Within the “Public Health—Global Health Major”, a new global health option will allow students to target their upper-division courses to global health content. 

UW is also offering a new concurrent graduate degree program for nurses with focus on population, global health. Nurses and nurse-scientists interested in advanced multi-disciplinary training for population and global health practice can now apply for a new University of Washington degree program. The concurrent Doctor in Nursing Practice in Population Health and Master of Public Health in Global Health Degree is a three- to four-year program that aims to expand the skills of public health nurses and nurse scholars to work in partnership with populations and health systems to ultimately improve access to health care and help achieve health for all.

“Graduates of the new concurrent degree program will be equipped to lead sustainable change in collaboration with health systems, communities, and populations; and will have the skills to evaluate program and policy impact,” said Pamela Kohler, associate professor with the UW Departments of Global Health, and Psychosocial and Community Health, and Schools of Public Health and Nursing.

For both UW students and non-students around the world, the Department of Global Health E-Learning Program is offering new online courses on a variety of global health topics relevant to students, health workers, and other professionals. The E-learning programs are aimed at building the health care workforce and institutional capacity such as health training institutes and universities. No credits are earned through these courses.

Through the UW in the High School program, high school students can complete UW courses — and earn UW credit — in their own classrooms with their own teachers. Students and teachers use UW curriculum, activities, texts, tests, and grading scales. Students earn a final grade over time; a grade does not depend on one exam. Students receive recognition for their UW work at most public institutions and many private ones. DGH partners with teachers at high schools to offer Introduction to Global Health: Disparities, Determinants, Policies and Outcomes (Global Health 101).

For more on what’s new in DGH academic programs, see https://globalhealth.washington.edu - Education & Training sections.