The global health major introduces students to global health as an area of study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide. A synthesis of population-based prevention with individual-level clinical care, global health aims to reduce health disparities through attention to modifiable determinants of health and provision of sustainable health services and human development. As a field of study, global health has emerged from tropical medicine, public health, and international health to encompass the complex transactions between societies that are a defining feature of globalization. Because many global health problems stem from economic, social, environmental, political, and healthcare inequalities, defining these problems and designing solutions is highly interdisciplinary and involves fields that span across health sciences, medicine, and public health, but also that bridge to a broad range of academic fields, including biology, agriculture, anthropology, business, computer science, engineering, environmental sciences, economics, history, law, psychology, public policy, and sociology, among others. To introduce students to this interdisciplinary field, the global health major integrates courses in the natural and social sciences and encourages students to take relevant electives in the humanities.Health issues do not know borders. The advances in transportation and the increasing amount of human travel propels nations to address health issues in a timely manner and more deeply than ever before. Given the size of China’s population and its geographic location, there is no better place for students to immerse themselves in the study of global health. Every nation has faced challenges related to global health: from HIV/AIDS to Ebola, COVID-19, and SARS, as well as health issues that arise from poverty, famine and natural disasters. The opportunity for students to study these issues in China will not just provide a generation of global health experts for China itself, but also for the entire world.The Biology track within the Global Health major is designed for students interested in a biological perspective on global health, in particular cell and molecular biology, infectious diseases, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology. The track is designed to encourage breadth in the life sciences but also allows students to acquire depth in a chosen area of scientific concentration through the choice of electives, as is encouraged for students who desire to pursue graduate studies or intend to pursue a career in research. The?Public Policy track?is designed for students most interested in the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of global health. The track provides a healthy balance between basic sciences and public policy aspects to prepare graduates for translating this knowledge into meaningful action and innovative policy solutions.
