Center for Global Health

College of Health

Making small changes in the big world and big changes in small worlds.

 

 

A mission without borders

The Center for Global Health is a community of learning and service that brings together Oregon State and partners around the world to address current and future global health challenges.

 

Partnerships rooted in purpose

Because health doesn’t recognize borders, we draw on connections within Oregon State University and across the globe to transform health and well-being in communities from ethiopia to bangladesh.

Out of a sense of deep responsibility and a belief that we are part of a global community, faculty and students facilitate leading research, support community initiated health development programs and projects, and provide education and training programs in collaboration with partner communities.

Our diverse work has a common theme: Community ownership of equitable and sustainable health development.

 

Health is a human right

Every person, family and community deserves fundamental claims of human dignity and self-determination. Our approach is rooted in this responsibility to our global community, and our work is grounded in these principles.

We strive to create visible and positive change by working with our partners — non-government organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations, academic institutions, government agencies, international organizations and UN agencies.

By working together, we commit to making big changes in targeted communities such as the Southern Thyolo District and Balaka District of Malawi, Debre Berhan and Gonder of Ethiopia, and Balan and Fonds Cheval in Haiti.

 

Current focus areas include

  • Health systems strengthening and governance
  • Political economy of refugees and displacement
  • Comprehensive community development in low-income nations
  • Environment, hygiene and water
  • Equity in health care and financial burden of health care
  • Methods for community decision making in health development
  • Food security, sovereignty and community nutrition
  • Adolescent reproductive and sexual health
  • Mental health in low-income nations
  • Community health workers and task shifting
  • Women’s health, gender inequity and gender-based violence

Noam Chomsky at Oregon State University, on Democracy, Student Activism, and Challenges for the Future

May 16, 2023, Professor Noam Chomsky speaks to a live crowd of 200-250 students in the MU Horizon Room at Oregon State University, with 150 people attending virtually. He discussed themes from his book Notes on Resistance (2022), which was handed out to students for free at the event. In the talk, Chomsky touched emergent challenges we face, such as threats to democracy, neoliberalism, the pandemic, and wealth inequality in the United States. The event was sponsored by the Muslim Student Association, Center for Global Health, the Honors College, ASOSU, and the President's Commission on the Status of Women.

Towards A Resilient Post-Pandemic World

October 13, 2022

Center director Dr. Chi was invited to be a speaker in the plenary session of the U.S. Department of State organized Global Ties U.S. Regional Summit and Learning Labs  and Conference of "Diplomacy Begins Here: Bridging Citizen Engagement & Environmental Action" at the World Forest Center in Washington Park, Portland, OR.

This was a regional conference that the State Department organized in three locations in the nation. (the other two are Pensacola, FL and Chicago, IL). WorldOregon help organize this regional conference. The topic of this plenary session was “Balancing the Post-Pandemic World” and the title of Dr. Chi's presentation was “Towards A Resilient Post-Pandemic World.”

Scott Weinhold (Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Dept. of State), Martha Newsome (President & CEO, Medical Teams International), and Vandy Kanyako (Director, Conflict Resolution Program, Portland State University)

A large proportion of the participants were international scholars and students under the U.S. State Department’s Exchange Program. Two CPHHS graduate students also participated in this conference. They are Phales Milimo (in the Ph.D. Global Health Program) and Ami Marui (MPH-Global Health).