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 in 17 LMICs representing Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Oceania.

The program is designed for pre- and post-doctoral trainees from the U.S. and post-doctoral trainees from collaborating LMICs who are dedicated to pursuing a career in global health and want to gain a solid scientific research foundation in a collaborative environment to develop into productive, independent researchers in global health. GHES offers hand-on opportunities to conduct research projects relevant to the health priorities of stakeholders and partners at established medical and research institutions and project sites in collaborating LMICs while being mentored by dedicated experts.

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).

The mission of the GHES program is to train new communities of researchers, educators, and professionals who are prepared to address new and emerging global health challenges. The program has historically focused on health challenges that arise from rapid urbanization and social inequities prevalent in the world’s burgeoning informal settlements, commonly known as slums. Rather than address one disease at a time, our program uses a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and integrated approach to training and research to address the complex health issues common in slums. We encourage research on the challenges of delivering accessible and high-quality healthcare within resource-limited settings and research on interventions that address the efficient management of scarce resources and innovative solutions to improving health services. Chronic and noncommunicable diseases, HIV/STIs and other infectious diseases, environmental health, maternal and child health, intentional and unintentional injuries, trauma, and mental health are additional areas of research that are supported under this program.

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.

GHES trainees and alumni form global connections and join strong research networks that set them up for future success. Since 2012, GHES has trained 176 fellows (86 US and 72 LMIC) About 48% of the fellowships have been carried out in Africa, 35% in Asia, 17% in Latin America, and 2% in Eastern Europe. Of the US fellowships, 20% have been among under-represented minorities in the sciences. GHES has been a launching pad for many alumni who have secured grant funding and pursued becoming an independent investigator. Alumni interested in teaching, mentorship, and capacity building have become GHES mentors.