Hello all and welcome to the start of a new academic year! I am happy to take this opportunity to share updates from a summer filled not only with exciting activities, but focused planning for the year ahead. As always, and despite our challenging environment, IIGH has been busy working towards our mission, connecting with local and global partners, and engaging in research and policy efforts here in Los Angeles and across the globe.
In the current moment – one that continues to be filled with financial, institutional, political, and ideological challenges – it is an immense understatement to say that it is a hard time to do good global health work, to address human rights and inequalities, and to do this from within a university situated in the United States. Yet, this is where we are. We remain fully committed to science, to values, and to equity and justice. And through it all, our commitment to the academic mission of USC is unwavering. To all our students, whether you have engaged with IIGH already, or hope to do so, we remain committed to your success, and pledge to continue to provide you evidence-based learning opportunities that push boundaries and seek to offer you new ways of thinking and engaging with the world.
Two student opportunities from the past few months stand out for what we all learned and for how they give us hope. The first was the Global Health Governance and Diplomacy in Practice course, which brought to life the very real challenges posed to global health and multilateralism in the current moment. Students engaged in two weeks of learning in Geneva, Switzerland, alongside the World Health Assembly, with a range of partners from key NGOs and international organizations and emerged stronger and more committed to the field than ever. The second was our Sexual Rights for Social Change Fellowship Program, which allowed students, over the course of 8 weeks, not only to learn about the intricacies of sexual and reproductive health and rights issues but to work directly with four IIGH partners on important advocacy campaigns. By connecting global health partners around the world with dedicated USC students, our aim is to bridge often separate worlds – with the ultimate goal of inspiring our students to continue their journey in global health no matter what the obstacles, and inspiring our partners with the fresh thinking and new creative ideas our students can offer.
Over the coming months, IIGH will offer myriad ways for the USC community and our partners across the world to join us in pushing health equity forward. Once again, welcome to a new academic year with IIGH! Please visit our website for more opportunities and events and don’t hesitate to reach out at global.health@usc.edu.
Sincerely,
Sofia Gruskin, JD, MIA
Director
USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health