The Duke Global Health Institute is looking to create an interdisciplinary Master of Science in global health program upon receiving a three-year grant of about $375,000 from the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health.
The grant is one of 12 Framework Programs for Global Health that Fogarty has bestowed upon institutions this year.
"We are very pleased," said Dr. Michael Merson, DGHI director. "This will help us launch this new program.... If it's approved we'd be one of the first universities to push forth an interdisciplinary Master's program in global health."
Drawing faculty from across the campus, the program will allow for collaboration among the School of Medicine, Nicholas School of the Environment, Fuqua School of Business, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, the Divinity School and School of Law, said Lisa Croucher, assistant director for education and training for DGHI.
"I think they probably saw in our proposal a unique opportunity that brings together schools, programs and institutions from all over the University," Croucher said. "Since we are not housed in a particular school, it enables us to work more freely with other entities across the University."
The program is seeking approval from Duke's Academic Council and Board of Trustees this Fall, and would be advised by the Graduate School and administered by DGHI. If accepted at this time, Croucher said the program would admit its first class of 10 to 15 students in Fall 2009. Eventually, each class would have between 35 and 40 students.
Students would be required to take core courses and electives as well as perform overseas research, Merson said. The program is designed so that it can be completed in one year, but it is likely that most people will take one and a half to two years to earn the degree, Croucher said.
"The idea is to prepare researchers to conduct interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary global health research that approaches global health from many perspectives," she said. "So what we hope is that the graduates at our program excel and find leadership positions."
These positions would include research at academic institutions or for policy think tanks, work at multilateral international lending agencies, governmental agencies and ministries, as well as for foundations, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector, Croucher explained.
Previous efforts to expand global health programs at Duke include the development of a global health certificate program, a Global Health Focus cluster, a Global Health Third-Year Study Program for medical students and the Global Health Residency, a joint effort between DGHI and Duke's Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health.
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