About Global Health Initiatives

To promote an area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide.   

• Integrity
• Excellence
• Mutual respect and human dignity 

• Education:  Provide opportunities to learners of our university to engage in educational opportunities that focus on inter-professional education, service learning and social determinants of health 
• Research:  Establish research priorities based on unique strengths of our university and identify potential funding opportunities 
• Facilitation: Support and facilitate the academic, research, and service goals in Global Health across the University campus 
• Information:  Provide pertinent information to the global health community of the University of Kentucky and prospective students and faculty 

Over 50 years ago, the College of Medicine, under the auspices of the first Department of Community Medicine in the United States, initiated a unique international rotation for medical students, introducing the concept of the study of community health problems and solutions through the concept of a community diagnosis project.  Other colleges developed global health experiences for their students in the following years, with the College of Public Health initiating a Graduate Certificate in Global Health for professional and graduate students in 2010, and the College of Medicine creating a Global Health Track for medical students in 2011. Shoulder to Shoulder Global, built on a community relationship in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, was begun in 2007, and has grown into a leading transdisciplinary experience for students of all majors. 

In 2010, the Internationalization Task Force appointed by the Provost issued a White Paper on Internationalization and global education and experiences were included as an important part of the university’s strategic plan.   Thus, the Office of Global Health Initiatives was established.  The Office of Global Health Initiatives continues to support university initiatives through its extensive transdisciplinary focus.  

Samuel C. Matheny, MD, MPH was appointed as the first Assistant Provost for Global Health and the Global Advisory Council (GHAC) was formed. Upon Dr. Matheny’s retirement in 2020, Melody Ryan, PharmD, MPH was selected to be the second Assistant Provost for Global Health Initiatives.