Orientation week inspires another successful year of transdisciplinary learning and collaboration

Last week, the MSc and PhD in Global Health programs kicked off the new academic year.

We welcomed graduate students to the academic year where students will develop international collaboration, cross-cultural intuition, and incisive decision-making skills through the transdisciplinary experiences in the program.

Delivering the official welcome address, Dr. Christy Gombay, Director of the Global Health program, discussed the need for continued innovative collaboration and inspired the learning experience ahead for future thought leaders.

With the aim of developing a diversified network of global health graduates, Dr. Sonia Anand, AVP of Global Health, encouraged students to reflect on the interconnection of local and global communities when addressing current and future global health issues and promoting equity in health. Furthermore, she emphasized that a common set of transferable skills can be adapted to work with vulnerable populations locally, nationally, and globally.

The MSc Global Health incoming students were provided with information about mobility exchange opportunities with our partnership universities, the Global Health Symposium held annually In Manipal, India and the options for completing their global health practicum. They were also encouraged to ignite their ideas and skills by hearing from alumni about student-led activities such as the Global Heath Annual Review and the Global Health Collective Podcast.

The Global Health program is committed to next-generation learning environments and throughout the year students collaborate in small online learning pods with peers from the partner universities in the Netherlands, Thailand, India, Sudan, and Colombia.

Emphasizing the value of communication, we continue to find innovative ways to engage students and connect them with available local and global opportunities.