Emory Report homepage  

January 29 , 2007
Global Health Institute

Emory recently announced a new $110 million University-wide Global Health Institute directed by Jeffrey Koplan, vice president for academic health affairs. The Institute builds on Emory’s considerable strengths in global health, and will create and enhance partnerships with governments and academic and private institutions in the most needy parts of the world. The first group of programs identified for Emory support includes:

• Republic of South Africa Drug Discovery Training Program, which develops skills in young African scientists in discovery of new thera- peutic drugs. Led by Dennis Liotta, professor of inorganic chemistry.

• Vaccine discovery partnership with International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi, India. Led by Rafi Ahmed, Emory Vaccine Center director.

• Expansion of the collaboration between Emory University and the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica of Mexico to create long-term sustainable strategies for research, capacity building, training and student exchange to improve global health. Led by Reynaldo Martorell, chair, Hubert Department of Global Health, and Robert W. Woodruff Professor of International Nutrition.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has granted $20 million to Emory, in partnership with Finland’s National Public Health Institute, to support the International Association of National Public Health Institutes. IANPHI is an alliance of nearly 50 CDC-like institutions dedicated to optimizing global public health by improving public health infrastructure around the world. Jeffrey Koplan is president of IANPHI and principal investigator of the IANPHI grant.

Other high-priority programs in the Global Health Institute will focus on public health research and training in developing nations, health care work force shortages, international bioethics, and the health impact of global migration. A new undergraduate minor in Global Health, Culture and Society is available through Emory College.

For more information, visit www.whsc.emory.edu/globalhealth.

TOP