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Undergraduate Students

Everything you need to get involved in global health

Undergraduate Students

"We aim to ignite lifelong passions for global health and citizenship by fostering learning and collaboration, both within classrooms and further afield, between undergraduates and global partners."

Clea Sarnquist, DrPH, MPH

Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Infectious Diseases

Minor in Global Health

The Human Biology Program and Stanford Global Health provide this interdisciplinary undergraduate minor in global health. The Minor in Global Health will introduce students to concepts, challenges and opportunities in the field of global health. Students study health throughout the world, global disparities and possible interventions. Courses explore the relationship between the biological and social aspects of humanity’s origin, development, and future while offering students flexibility to pursue a deeper study in a chosen field of interest.

Students interested in a Global Health minor in Human Biology must declare their minor at least two quarters prior to their intended quarter of degree conferral (for example, a student must declare a minor before the end of Autumn Quarter to graduate the following Spring Quarter). Undergraduate fields of study (subplans) are declared on Axess; these subplans appear on the transcript but not on the diploma.

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Join our Global Health student list-serv

This email list for Stanford University students consolidates global health-related information, research and internship opportunities, events, and educational programming targeted at medical students, graduate students, and undergraduate students.

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Global Health Opportunities at Stanford

Although CIGH does not offer research funding or study abroad opportunities for undergraduate students, there are other departments and centers on campus that do. Below is a curated list of opportunities available to Stanford students. Please reach out to the specific office or center for more information about the opportunity listed.

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Global Health Student Council

The Stanford Global Health Student Council is an interdisciplinary student organization at Stanford University dedicated to strengthening the global health community on campus. Composed of undergraduate and graduate students, the Council works in close partnership with the Stanford University Center for Innovation in Global Health (CIGH), Stanford’s premier global health research, education, and mentorship center.

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Climate and Health Student Group

Stanford Climate and Health is a student-driven advocacy group that provides a space for the Stanford community to take action on climate change, planetary and environmental health, and sustainable health care by engaging in advocacy, education, dialogue, and research.

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Stanford Global Health Club

The Stanford Global Health Club hosts a monthly seminar series, where members of the Stanford community can come together to learn, share, and collaborate on approaches to improve global health. Organized by Stanford PhD students and postdocs, the seminars are open to attendees of all levels of experience and disciplines, including medicine, anthropology, biology, economics, law, ethics, and engineering. 

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Undergraduate Courses in Global and Planetary Health Studies

Quarters Available

Student Type

Course Type

Course Name
Professor
Quarters Offered
Student Type
Course Type
HUMBIO 29: Introduction to Global Health
Tiffany Chao, MD & Victoria Ward, MD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
EPI 237: Practical Approaches to Global Health (INTLPOL 290, MED 226)
Stephen Luby, MD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
SOMGEN 206: Global Medical Issues Affecting Women (FEMGEN 206)
Clea Sarnquist, DrPH, MPH
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
ETHICSOC 136R: Introduction to Global Justice
Valerie Soon, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
BIOE 122 : BioSecurity and Pandemic Resilience (EMED 122, EMED 222, PUBLPOL 122, PUBLPOL 222)
Milana Boukhman Trounce MD, MBA
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
HRP 224: Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab (SE Lab) - Human & Planetary Health (MED 224, PUBLPOL 224)
Gordon Bloom, MBA, MFA
Spring Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
AFRICAST 195: Shifting Frames
Laura Hubbard, PhD
Spring Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
ANTHRO 82: Medical Anthropology (ANTHRO 282, HUMBIO 176A)
Angela Garcia, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
CHPR 242: The Science of Well-being: A Global Perspective
Ann Hsing, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
BIOE 271: Frugal Science
Manu Prakash, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
EMED 134: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health (EMED 234)
James Marvel, MD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
SURG 234: Service Through Surgery: Surgeons with an Impact
Micaela Esquivel, MD
Winter
Graduate Students Medical Students
MED 285: Global Leaders and Innovators in Human and Planetary Health (HRP 285, SUSTAIN 345)
Gordon Bloom, MBA, MFA & Sara Singer, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
CEE 374W: Advanced Topics in Water, Health and Development
Jenna Davis, PhD
Spring Fall Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
HUMBIO 114: Global Change and Emerging Infectious Disease (EARTHSYS 114, EARTHSYS 214, ESS 213)
James Jones, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
PEDS 223: Human Rights and Global Health
Bertrand Patenaude, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
MED 54Q: Decolonizing Global Health
Takudzwa Shumba, MD, MPH
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
MED 159: Oaxacan Health on Both Sides of the Border*
Catherine Heaney, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates
Global Health
HUMBIO 123E: Health Economics & Policy: exploring health disparities, child health & health care spending
Maya Rossin-Slater, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
HUMBIO 125: Current Topics and Controversies in Women's Health (FEMGEN 256, OBGYN 256)
Marcia Stefanick, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students
Global Health
EARTHSYS 196A: Environmental Justice and Human Rights Lab (HUMRTS 196)
Jessie Brunner, MA; Sibyl Diver, PhD; Emily Polk, PhD & Penelope Van Tuyl, JD
Spring Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
MED 294: Global Health: Through an Equity Lens (MED 194)
Michele Barry, MD & Geoff Tabin, MD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
SUSTAIN 103: Human and Planetary Health (MED 103, PUBLPOL 183, SOC 103)
Katherine Burke, MBA, MSc; Giulio De Leo, PhD; Stephen Luby, MD & Erika Veidis, MBA
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
CEE 371C: SARS-CoV-2 in the Environment
Alexandria Boehm, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
CHPR 237: Hunger & Food Insecurity: Challenges and Solution
Christopher Gardner, PhD
See More ⟶
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
HISTORY 201C: The U.S., U.N. Peacekeeping, and Humanitarian War (INTNLREL 140C, INTNLREL 140X)
Bertrand M Patenaude, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
BIO 179: The Science & Practice of Valuing Nature for a Better World (BIO 279, EARTHSYS 179, EARTHSYS 279)
Gretchen Daily, PHD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
MED 232: Global Health: Scaling Health Technology Innovations in Low Resource Settings
Anurag Mairal, PhD & Michele Barry, MD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
PEDS 220: Past, Present, and Future: Lessons from COVID-19
Rishi Mediratta, MD
Fall Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
BIOE 375: Biodesign and Entrepreneurship for Societal Health (Med 236)
Narges Baniasadi, PhD & Pedram Afshar
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
PSYC 244: Islamic Psychology (PSYC 144)
Rania Awaad, MD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
STRAMGT 345: Impact: Taking Social Innovation to Scale
Steve Davis, JD, MA
Spring
Graduate Students
Global Health
MED 268: Tackling Cross-Cultural Health Challenges: Emphasis on the Asian Community (ASNAMST 268)
Latha Palaniappan, MD, MS & Bryant Lin, MD, MEng
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
HUMBIO 128U: Upstreaming Health (DESIGN 261, SUSTAIN 128)
Sara Singer, MBA, PhD; Joanne Cheung & Stephen Johannes Downs
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
ECON 127: Economics of Health Improvement in Developing Countries
Grant Miller, PhD, MPP
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
SOMGEN 207: Theories of Change in Global Health (INTLPOL 291, PUBLPOL 291)
Stephen Luby, MD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
HUMBIO 122M: Challenges of Human Migration: Health and Health Care of Migrants and Autochthonous Populations (PEDS 212)
Eunice Rodriguez, MPH
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
EARTHSYS 125: Shades of Green: Exploring and Expanding Environmental Justice in Practice (CSRE 125E, EARTHSYS 225, URBANST 125)
Sibyl Diver, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
MED 233: Global Health: Beyond Diseases and International Organizations
Cybele Renault MD, DTM&H & Ashley Styczynski, MD, MPH
Spring
Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
OBGYN 256: Current Topics and Controversies in Women's Health (HUMBIO 125, FEMGEN 256)
Marcia Stefanick, PhD
Spring
Medical Students
Global Health
MED 124: Global Child Health (HUMBIO 124C, PEDS 124)
Yvonne Maldonado, MD & Clea Sarnquist, DrPH, MPH
Fall
Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
CHPR 239: Contemplative Competence for Sustainability of Public and Planetary Health and Well-being
Tia Rich, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
PSYC 86Q: Psychology of Xenophobia
Rania Awad, MD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
SURG 234: Service Through Surgery: Surgeons with an Impact
Micaela Esquivel, MD
Winter
Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
SUSTAIN 2: Climate and Society
Marshall Burke, PhD, MS; Noah Diffenbaugh, PhD & David Lobell, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
CEE 277F: Advanced Field Methods in Water, Health and Development
Jenna Davis, PhD, MSPH
Spring Fall Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
OSPGEN 259: Community Health in Oaxaca
Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, PhD, MPH; Catherine Heaney, PhD
Summer
Undergraduates
Global Health
BIO 2N: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease in a Changing World
Erin Mordecai, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
EPI 231: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
Julie Parsonnet, MD; Yvonne Maldonado, MD & Jason Andrews, MD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
SUST 210: Pursuing Sustainability: Managing Complex Social Environmental Systems (ESS 230)
Garry Sotnik, MA & Pam Matson, PhD, MS
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
HUMBIO 166: Food and Society: Exploring Eating Behaviors in Social, Environmental, and Policy Context (CHPR 166)
Christopher Gardner, PhD, MS
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
EARTHSYS 194A: Environmental Justice Colloquium (HUMRTS 194A, URBANST 155A)
Sibyl Diver, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
HUMBIO 3B: Environmental and Health Policy Analysis
Laurence Baker, PhD & Joe Nation, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
ME 375: Wildfire Science
Matthias Ihme, PhD, MSc
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
STS 177: The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating: Technology, History, and Justice
Kyoko Sato, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
SUSTAIN 329: Policy Practicum: Smoke (LAW 808D)
Michael Wara, JD, PhD & Deborah Sivas, JD, MS
Spring Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
ESS 268: Empirical Methods in Sustainable Development (INTLPOL 272)
Marshall Burke, PhD, MS
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
BIO 117: Biology and Global Change (EARTHSYS 111, EARTHSYS 217, ESS 111)
Karen Casciotti, PhD, MS & Peter Vitousek, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
CEE 260C: Contaminant Hydrogeology and Reactive Transport (ESS 221)
Steven Gorelick, PhD, MS, Katharine Maher, PhD, MS
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
CEE 270: Movement and Fate of Organic Contaminants in Waters
Richard Luthy, PhD, MS
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
CEE 278A: Air Pollution Fundamentals
Royal Kopperud, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
HUMBIO 154D: Models for Understanding and Controlling Global Infectious Diseases (HRP 204)
Jason Andrews, MD & Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
HUMBIO 179B: Music and Healing (MUSIC 39B)
Denise Gill, PhD, MA
See More ⟶
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
MED 246: Confronting Emotions in the Climate Sciences (SUSTAIN 223)
David Palumbo-Liu, PhD; Peter Pellitier, PhD; Britt Wray, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
CEE 64: Air Pollution and Global Warming: History, Science, and Solutions (CEE 263D)
Mark Jacobson, PhD, MS
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
COLLEGE 106: Environmental Sustainability: Global Predicaments and Possible Solutions
William Barnett, PhD; Chris Field, PhD; Mejgan Massoumi, PhD, MCP & Belinda Ramírez, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
PEDS 225: Humanitarian Aid and Politics
Bertrand M Patenaude, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
MED 215C: Health Policy Graduate Student Tutorial III (HRP 201C)
Grant Miller, PhD
Spring
Graduate Students
Global Health
NATIVEAM 240: Psychology and American Indian/Alaska Native Mental Health (EDUC 340, PSYCH 272)
Teresa LaFramboise, PhD, MEd
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
OSPSANTG 57: Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and Public Policy in Chile*
Claudia Dides
Spring
Undergraduates
Global Health
OSPMADRD 57: Health Care: A Contrastive Analysis between Spain and the U.S.*
Alicia Perez Blanco
Spring
Undergraduates
Global Health
COLLEGE 108: Where Does it Hurt?: Medicine and Suffering in Global Context
Ruth Averbach, PhD; Esiteli Hafoka, PhD, MA; Lidia Schapira, MD; Karl Lorenz, MD, MSHS; Nicole Martinez-Martin JD, PhD; Tagart Cain Sobotka, PhD; Samuel Maull, PhD & Ameer Hasan Loggins, MA
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
GLOBAL 112: Oceans and the Global Imaginary (GLOBAL 212, OCEANS 112, OCEANS 212)
Krish Seetah, PhD, MS
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
EARTHSYS 109: Rethinking Meat: An Introduction to Alternative Proteins (EARTHSYS 209, ESS 103, ESS 203, ETHICSOC 107)
David Lobell, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
BIO 71: Planet Ocean (ESS 71)
Rob Dunbar, PhD; Fiorenza Micheli, PhD; & Stephen Palumbi, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
BIOS 230: Successful Fieldwork in Global Health Research
Signe Svallfors, PhD
Fall
Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
BIODS 228: Statistical genomics for planetary health: oceans, plants, microbes and humans
Julia Salzman, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
EARTHSYS 162: Data for Sustainable Development (CS 325B, EARTHSYS 262)
Marshall Burke, PhD, MS; Stefano Ermon, PhD; David Lobell, PhD
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students
Global Health
ESS 14N: Sustainable Adaptation
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, PhD, MA
Fall
Undergraduates
Planetary Health
SINY 65: Climate Justice in the Megacity*
Walter Rodriguez Meyer
Fall
Undergraduates
Planetary Health
LAW 2515: Environmental Justice
Michelle Anderson, JD, MS
Fall
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
MED 235: Designing Research-Based Interventions to Solve Global Health Problems (AFRICAST 135, AFRICAST 235, EDUC 135, EDUC 335, EPI 235, HUMBIO 26)
Piya Sorcar, PhD, MA
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
COMPMED 84Q: Globally Emerging Zoonotic Diseases
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
MED 131: Exploring Israel's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem for Sustaining Human & Planetary Health*
Gordon Bloom, MBA, MFA & Sara Singer, PhD
Spring
Undergraduates
Global Health
CEE 173: Urban Water
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
BIO 313: Ethics in the Anthropocene (BIO 197, SUSTAIN 331)
Elizabeth A. Hadly, PhD, MS; Deborah Sivas, JD
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
HUMRTS 122: Global Human Rights and Local Practices (INTLPOL 282, INTNLREL 125, SOC 115, SOC 215)
Kiyoteru Tsutsui, PhD, MA
Spring
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
BIO 6N: Ocean Conservation: Pathways to Solutions
Larry Crowder, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
HRP 201B: Health Policy Graduate Student Tutorial II
Adrienne Sabety, PhD, BA
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
EMED 227: Health Care Leadership (EMED 127, PUBLPOL 127, PUBLPOL 227)
Milana Boukhman Trounce MD, MBA
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
MI 255C: Life in the Coronascene
Robert Siegel, MD, PhD, MA
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
CHPR 113: Healthy/Sustainable Food Systems: Maximum Sustainability across Health, Economics, and Environment (HUMBIO 113S)
Christopher Gardner, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
CEE 272: Coastal Contaminants
Alexandria Boehm, PhD, MS
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
CEE 265D: Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries
Jenna Davis, PhD, MSPH
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health Planetary Health
SURG 236: Seminar in Global Surgery and Anesthesia
Tiffany Chao, MD
Winter
Medical Students
Global Health
ANTHRO 248: Health, Politics, and Culture of Modern China (ANTHRO 148, CHINA 155A, CHINA 255A)
Matthew Kohrman
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
PEDS 226: Famine in the Modern World (HISTORY 226E, HISTORY 326E)
Bertrand M. Patenaude, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
BIO 289: Emergent and Re-Emergent Viruses as a Global Threat to Human Health (BIO 189)
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
ESS 306: From Freshwater to Oceans to Land Systems: An Earth System Perspective to Global Challenges
Elliott White, PhD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Planetary Health
HUMRTS 117: International Human Rights (INTLPOL 355)
E. Tendayi Achiume, JD
Winter
Undergraduates Graduate Students Medical Students
Global Health
SUST 297: Introduction to Systems Transformation
Banny Bannerjee, Annette Zou
Fall
Graduate Students