Department of Population and Public Health Sciences Launches Global Health Research Interactive Map Tool

The Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has launched an interactive map tool showcasing examples of Departmental project sites across the world. Our faculty and staff are engaging in important global health research and program implementation activities across different areas of population and public health.

“Population health is increasingly inter-dependent on global factors, i.e., the trans-national movement of peoples, animals, plants, infectious disease pathogens, industries, products, wastes, behaviors, and other attributes—a lesson starkly delivered by the COVID pandemic,” says Howard Hu, MD, MPH, ScD, professor and the Flora L. Thornton Chair of the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences. “Investing in global health research and training is critical for our researchers and students and has enormous potential payoffs in terms of lives saved or improved.” 

The ongoing work in different countries highlights the interdisciplinary nature of global health research, which is dependent on international partnerships as well as stakeholders who are committed to population-based initiatives, and the need for innovative approaches to address health challenges of our time.

“This resource showcases the kind of research our investigators are undertaking across the globe, and serves as a tool for students, staff, and faculty to connect with one another for research purposes,” shares Mehak Kaur, a project specialist in the department. “We are launching the first version of the tool, which we will continue to develop to become more nuanced over time.

There are currently over 70 project sites either conducting research or implementing programs, visually represented on the map at the country level. Project areas include, but are not limited to, youth vulnerabilities to STIs/HIV and to dating violence in Brazil; drowning prevention in Uganda; tobacco cessation in high schools in Pakistan;  sexual and reproductive health in pregnancy in South Africa; ‘Getting to the Heart of HIV Stigma’ in Australia; and a research hub in Senegal.

We invite you to browse through the tool to learn more about the efforts of our dynamic researchers who are working within and beyond health to improve health equity for people worldwide.

We value these activities and look for opportunities to increase information sharing and collaboration across disciplines. Click here to submit a project. If you have any questions, concerns or edits contact email Mehak Kaur at mehakkau@usc.edu.

The interactive maps were created by Mehak Kaur and Carolyn Barnes.