Global Health Equity Scholars Program

The Global Health Equity Scholars (GHES) program is a 12-month mentored global health research training fellowship at select institutions in low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC). The GHES program was established in 2012 and is comprised of four US partner institutions – Yale University, the University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, and the University of Arizona – that together have collaborations with 25 partner LMIC sites, located across 21 countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Oceania.

The fellowship is designed for US doctoral students (PhD, DrPH, etc.), US professional students (MD, DDS, DVM, PharmD, etc.), US postdoctoral fellows, and foreign postdoctoral fellows from affiliated institutions in LMICs. The program's main objective is to train new generations of health researchers and professionals who will be prepared to address the emerging challenges in global health and inequity. These may include health challenges that arise from the world's burgeoning human settlements known as slums that have developed in urban and rural communities of many LMICs.

GHES is one of seven consortia funded by the Launching Future Leaders in Global Health (LAUNCH) training initiative. The program is sponsored by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) and several collaborating Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Mission Statement

The mission of the GHES program is designed to create a new community of researchers, educators, and professionals prepared to address new and emerging global health challenges. Building on the program’s first 10 years, we train cadres of new researchers who dedicate their research careers to addressing the health problems that arise out of the inequity of conditions prevalent in informal human settlements that the United Nations has defined as slums. Rather than addressing one disease at a time, we provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary and integrated approach to dealing with slum health issues, developed over many years by various participating faculty members of this program.

What We Do

The diverse network of GHES LMIC research training institutions have strong collaborations that have extended for five or more years with faculty from US consortium partners. In addition, the institutions have ongoing federally supported research projects and outstanding capacity with respect to faculty mentors, research oversight and ethical review. Top-tier faculty and internationally recognized global health leaders from GHES consortium partners and the LMIC sites provide mentorship for GHES fellows, supporting their scientific and career development as global health researchers.