The Latest News from VIGH

The Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health (VIGH) will join Yale University and the University of Liberia College of Health Sciences (ULCHS) to establish a public-private-academic hub for research utilization in the Liberian health sector and an academic network to strengthen Liberia’s education and health sectors as part of a five-year, $15 million federal project announced this week.

The Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health Student Advisory Council (SAC) is a student-led organization that brings together diverse students interested in global health with the goal of fostering cross-disciplinary student networking and collaboration. Although networking and collaboration often occur in person, this year, council leaders pivoted two key events to be held online. They welcomed a record attendance of Vanderbilt students, staff, faculty, and community members engaged in global health.

In collaboration with the University of Liberia College of Health Sciences (ULCHS), the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) will develop a one-year research ethics education program for members of four institutional review boards (IRBs) in Monrovia, Liberia.

In academia, mentors can provide valuable support and guidance to students in their professional and personal development. However, often mentors do not receive training in theories and practical strategies that could improve their mentorship. Faculty leaders at the University of Zambia (UNZA) are changing this trend to offer training in mentorship theory and effective techniques for faculty in masters and doctoral programs.

Current and future faculty leaders at the University of Zambia (UNZA) and Mulungushi University are benefitting from a training program that promotes effective leadership and management in education and healthcare by guiding trainees to strengthen their competencies in effectively leading teams. The Strengthening Health Professional Workforce Education Programs for Improved Quality Health Care in Zambia (SHEPIZ) Leadership and Management Program was developed by faculty and students from UNZA, Mulungushi University, and the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH). Drs.

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! We celebrate this year's Master of Public Health, Global Health Track students and recipients of the Graduate Certificate in Global Health. Class of 2021 Global Health MPH and Certificate Graduates

Effective teaching, mentorship, and leadership skills are essential for faculty success in academic medicine, but these skills are rarely taught in medical school and residency training programs, particularly in low-resource settings. To address this gap among anesthesia educators in Ethiopia, a 13-week course was developed and piloted in a virtual platform from September 2020-January 2021.

Two Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty and a 2017 alumna of the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Master of Public Health program have recently been recognized for their global health accomplishments from the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH).

The Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) Subcommittee on Masters and Undergraduate Degrees in Global Health (SMUDGH) has elected Marie Martin, Ph.D., M.Ed., assistant professor of Health Policy and associate director for Education and Training for VIGH to serve a 2-year term on the committee, which focuses on helping universities develop high-quality programs in global health for both undergraduate and graduate students.

At the end of March, the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health received a long-awaited message from Liberia – the 40-foot shipping container of medical books and other laboratory equipment donated by the Vanderbilt School of Medicine had survived it’s journey across the ocean and arrived at its final destination, the University of Liberia. The letter signaled the end of a nearly year-long donation effort at Vanderbilt and the beginning of new opportunities for current and future medical students in Liberia.

Marie Martin, PhD, MEd, assistant professor of Health Policy, has been named associate director for Education and Training in the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH). Marie Martin, PhD, MEdMartin stepped into the role at the beginning of the fiscal year, succeeding Douglas Heimburger, MD, MS, who will focus his time on leading projects with grant funding from the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Heimburger started in 2009 as associate director of Education and Training.

"Mentors are teachers but not all teachers are mentors." Lackson Kasonka, Senior Mentor The next generation of global health researchers, scientists and practitioners are benefiting from a mentoring program at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in Lusaka with the help of colleagues from the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with support from the Fogarty International Center.

Vanderbilt welcomed Dr. Bernice Dahn, Vice President for Health Sciences at the University of Liberia and former Minister of Health for Liberia, to campus on April 17. Dr. Dahn delivered a guest lecture entitled, "Building Health Systems: Lessons From Crisis." Drawing on her experience leading a country through and after an Ebola epidemic, she shared powerful lessons on the re-establishment of the Ministry of Health and the rebuilding of Liberia’s health care delivery system.