About

The Global Health Initiative is a Dartmouth-wide program dedicated to improving the health of the world's population through multidisciplinary research, education and service. GHI brings together Dartmouth's schools and departments and a network of partners around the world to pursue solutions to critical challenges in global health while training the next generation of global health leaders.

The Global Health Initiative

The Global Health Initiative is a Dartmouth-wide program dedicated to improving the health of the world's population through multidisciplinary research, education and service. GHI brings together the institution's five schools—the College of Arts and Sciences, Geisel School of Medicine, Tuck School of Business, Thayer School of Engineer, and the School of Graduate Studies—and our affiliated academic medical center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center— with a network of partners around the world to pursue solutions to critical challenges in global health while training the next generation of global health leaders. The Global Health Initiative is housed in the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College. GHI works seamlessly with mission-aligned centers and complementary programs across Dartmouth's campus, including the Geisel School of Medicine's Center for Health Equity, Tuck Global Onsite, the College's Policy Research Shop at the Rockefeller Center, and the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL).

Our Approach

Partnership is central to Dartmouth's global health work. Dartmouth's partners include Ministries of Health, academic institutions, research institutes, and local and international nongovernmental organizations. Our work consists of joint research, capacity building, and education and is driven by partner priorities and needs. Where possible, our educational activities provide opportunities for students and trainees at Dartmouth as well as for their counterparts outside of the US. Almost all of our partnerships involve bi-directional exchanges to support training opportunities for students and faculty across the institution.

Global Health at Dartmouth

Collaborations with partners take many forms and often develop over several years. Most of our activities with our international partners fall into four general categories—research, capacity building and technical assistance, and faculty and student experiential learning exchanges.

Research

Many Dartmouth faculty members are actively engaged in research on global health topics. Dartmouth frequently works with partners to develop research and seek external funds to support these activities. Dartmouth's past funders have included World Bank, NIH/Fogarty Center, USAID, NSF, and a range of private foundations.

Capacity building

Dartmouth faculty members provide technical assistance both to our global partners and based on their area of expertise. Faculty are currently co-developing curricula, developing guidelines and national policy, redesigning health care delivery systems and serving on global working groups and advisory committees.

Experiential Learning Exchanges and Education

Each year, Dartmouth hosts faculty and students for short term exchanges, placing visitors in clinical observerships or training in a specific area, such as palliative care or research methods. Dartmouth also trains students and professionals for future careers in global health at its five schools. Health care leaders from partner programs in Kosovo, Tanzania and Rwanda have completed degrees in public health, health care management, and other fields at Dartmouth. In collaboration with other Dartmouth programs, GHI also provides opportunities for Dartmouth students to gain practical experience and apply skills to projects to support our work with our partners.

Areas of Research Expertise

Dartmouth faculty members engage in research in a wide range of areas related to global health. Some key areas of strength are as follows:

  • Health systems strengthening/health care delivery
  • Health policy
  • Mental and behavioral health
  • Rural healthcare delivery/telemedicine
  • Infectious disease research
  • Tuberculosis care delivery and prevention