Global Health Research at DGSOM 

Fostering multidisciplinary research, advancing sustainable impact 

Vision: We support faculty and early-stage researchers to conduct impactful, locally relevant and locally owned global health research.  

Global Health Research at DGOM spans 24 departments and many geographical regions, disease areas and methodologies. We provide a unique space to foster community, facilitate collaboration within and outside DGSOM, and provide tailored support for global health researchers across disciplines.  

Highlights from the Global Health Research Community at DGSOM 

Breadth: 

  • Over … xx faculty across 24 departments
  • xx diseases researched
  • xx global partner sites
  • xx global health external research grants
  • xx trainees in global health research   

Strengths: 

  • Clinical excellence with equity focus
  • Established global partnerships
  • Multidisciplinary collaborations across Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Law, Business, World Arts and Culture, and Social Sciences
  • Others?  

Established Research Sites with Sustained Impact: 

  • Mozambique
  • Malawi
  • Cameroon
  • Uganda
  • Brazil
  • Vietnam
  • Thailand
  • China
  • South Africa
  • India
  • Peru  

Featured Faculty (or Projects??): 

  • TBD.- TO showcase HIGH IMPACT and multidisciplinary  

See our full list of Global Health Research Faculty here [link to page 1.a]. 

Below are helpful presentations, websites, and documents from past GHP talks to assist global partners and Global Health Equity Pathway students achieve their research goals. For questions about these resources, please contact GHP Director of Education, Dr. Traci Wells at TWells@mednet.ucla.edu.

Services Offered/Strategies through GHP: 

  • Collaborative Networks: Strong multidisciplinary communities are critical to impactful and resilient global health strategies. Yet Global health researchers are often siloed within their departments. We foster a vibrant, multidisciplinary community through several mechanisms:
  • Quarterly newsletter and faculty workshops. [link to newsletters]
  • Cross-disciplinary faculty matchmaking to break down disciplinary silos.  
  • Community of Practice: Physicians and researchers often receive limited training to navigate challenges specific to global health research. We provide peer-to-peer technical assistance and guidance to help faculty and early investigators navigate real-world challenges specific to conducting global health research. Topics include:
  • Navigating administrative systems that weren't designed for global activities 
  • Strategies to build equitable partnerships that result in high impact research and mutually beneficial global health training models  
  • Translating evidence to practice through Ministry of Health partnerships and strategic dissemination
  • Innovation Hub: Global health efforts need innovation and efficiency to be resilient to challenges that lie ahead. Such innovations often required “protected space” to be developed.  We offer the following: 
  • Seed grant: Described here [link to seed grant]
  • Pilot AI and Health Program: We are piloting an innovative cross-school program at UCLA that pairs DGSOM global health researchers with AI experts to rapidly address and mitigate gaps from  funding cuts. [link to the pilot AI program – 1.b] 

Are you UCLA faculty / early stage researcher interested in global health research? 

  • Join our Global Health Listserve 
  • Access resources from the community of practice via Box 
  • Apply for our AI Pilot Program 
  • Email us for potential cross-disciplinary matchmaking 

Global partner research talks

Conducting Research in a South African Rural Context

Dr. Thandaza Cyril Nkabinde from the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Supporting the COVID-19 Response in Peru

Dr. Willy Lescano from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia