Photo credit: Annie Spratt, via unsplash.com
Offered Spring Quarter, 2026 | Wednesdays, 9:30-11:20am
Application required – see below for details
In this course, participants will discuss and engage critically with current topics and pressing issues in global health through the lens of health equity and social justice. Topics include: the consequences of global funding cuts, how nations health from trauma; mental health, global blindness and inequities, women’s leadership in global health, global vaccine equity, and new technologies and AI and the future of global health.
Students will hear from and engage with experts in the field and debate critical issues in global health through course discussions. Three-unit students will investigate a global health equity challenge and present recommendations for effective interventions. A sample of this year’s speaker’s include: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Madhu Pai, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, Vanessa Kerry, and Dr. Olufunke Fasawe.
Participants will gain new insights into the health equity considerations critical to addressing contemporary challenges, explore diverse perspectives on key issues, and critically consider current and potential interventions through the lens of a global health practitioner.
Requirements for the course for 3-unit students include attendance and participation, an outline submission, a short capstone presentation, and a final paper. Students who choose to take the course for 2-units will be required to submit a key takeaways paper at the end. The teaching team will be holding a discussion section on Wednesdays, 11:30am – 12:30pm (right after class). Students are strongly encouraged to attend the discussion session and will receive extra credit points. The discussion is a valuable opportunity to engage with both course professors in a small, intimate setting and to learn valuable skills that will assist students in completing the course requirements. The TAs will walk through engaging exercises to help three-unit students prepare for their final projects. Exercises from last year include: guided walk-throughs of midterm outline and final papers, headline activities analyzing global health news sources, and presentations overviewing the theory of change method for refining global health interventions over broad spheres of influence.
This course will be taught by Dean Michele Barry, Director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health, and Dr. Geoffrey Tabin, Professor of Ophthalmology and Global Medicine and co-founder of the internationally renowned Himalayan Cataract Project.
This course is open to undergraduate students, graduate students, and medical students. All students will be expected to post questions for guest speakers and post reflections in Canvas weekly. Students are highly encouraged to attend the optional discussion session facilitated by the teaching team held every Wednesday after class. Students can take the course for two or three units. Students enrolling in the course for a third unit will be expected to submit an outline, give a short capstone presentation, and submit a final paper.
This class counts as required coursework toward the following programs:
Capacity is limited to ensure that the class size encourages student discussion and engagement. If enrollment capacity is reached, there will be a waitlist for both Med 194 and Med 294. If you are an undergraduate student not interested in obtaining Ways credit for the course, you are encouraged to enroll in Med 294.
Students must apply for this course. Apply by Friday, March 13 at 9am using this link.
Here are some testimonials from students who took the course in 2025.
“A great course to take even if you have no background in global health, everyone should take this! It gives you a great perspective on global health throughout the world and you get to hear from some really successful and passionate people.”
“Very informative course about the current state of global health – I learned a lot about topics that I was never exposed to before. The weekly reflections make you think about the presentations, and the midterm outline and final project are based on your own implementation of a public health intervention on a country/topic of your choosing.”
“Such an interesting class, the topics are so fascinating and eye opening, I really recommend to anyone even if you aren’t going to medical school.”