Sustainability and Growth of University Global Health Programs

North American universities are increasingly investing in centers, programs, institutes, and departments of global health. This focus is driven both by a general move to globalize university education and by student and junior faculty demand. At the same time, governmental funding for global health activities has stagnated or declined, leading to questions about the sustainability of these academic endeavors. In order to remain successful, universities will need to confront several key challenges to sustainability, including funding, faculty recruitment and retention, and graduate employment prospects. They must also recognize that adapting to a changing funding and policy environment will present several opportunities for growth of their global health program.

Alastair I. Matheson is with the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington. Judd L. Walson, MD, is with the Departments of Global Health, Medicine (Allergy and Infectious Disease), Pediatrics and Epidemiology at the University of Washington. James Pfeiffer is with the Departments of Global Health, Anthropology, and Health Services at the University of Washington. King Holmes, MD, is with the Departments of Global Health, Medicine (Allergy and Infectious Disease), Epidemiology, and Microbiology at the University of Washington.

Alastair I. Matheson, Judd L. Walson, James Pfeiffer, and King Holmes