Educating the next generation of global health practitioners and leaders

This semester, Master of Public Health students enrolled in PM525 Culture and Health: Global Perspectives, and engaged in practical, hands-on learning as they tackled various major global health issues. Their task was to offer structural and social policy solutions that explored upstream system changes.

“As global health challenges continue to get exacerbated and the world faces turmoil stemming from major socio-political developments, our work in global health remains ever so important,” says Ans Irfan, MD, EdD, DrPH, ScD, MPH, MRPL, director of digital learning and innovation, and associate professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

As part of this course, students engaged in an immersive, solution-driven experience, tackling issues affecting marginalized communities. Through rigorous research and a justice-centered approach, they conceptualized innovative strategies to drive meaningful change.

“I often think about renowned author and educator bell hooks, who has had tremendous influence on my thinking and teaching, especially her reflection that ‘The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy,’— this expo highlights what is possible when passionate, forward-thinking students take on the world’s toughest health challenges through imaginative approaches,” says Irfan.

Through team projects, the students explored specific systemic health issues across various communities. They unveiled transformative solutions aimed at breaking down systemic barriers in global public health. From expanding mental health resources for undocumented Latinx youth to ensuring culturally responsive care for Somali refugees in Minnesota, their projects confront the gaps that leave structurally marginalized communities without adequate support. Scholars also focused on empowering immigrant communities with access to health care and enhancing health literacy for Los Angeles’ Latinx population. Together, these initiatives serve as a call to action, advocating for the transformation of systems that shape community health and well-being.

View the student’s projects here.