Allegheny College is proud to be among a handful of American liberal arts colleges that boast a program in Global Health Studies (GHS).
Founded on the belief that undergraduate liberal education can play an essential role in meeting the world’s health challenges, the GHS program draws upon Allegheny’s longstanding commitments to civic engagement, diverse perspectives, internationalization, project-based and interdisciplinary learning. Thanks in part to a generous grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, we have added new faculty with expertise in epidemiology and global health, designed new health-related courses, supported student research and experiential learning opportunities, and created both a major and a minor in Global Health Studies.
Global Health Studies is an interdivisional program that promotes a multidimensional understanding of local and global health issues, particularly in low-resource regions. It emphasizes the links between health and patterns of economic and social development, and it brings together courses on the environment, ethics, politics, economics, society, and culture. The major and minor aim to foster 1) an understanding of disease causation and prevention; 2) awareness of the transnational dimensions of health and disease; 3) comprehension of the relationship between health and the built and natural environments; 4) an ethical outlook that promotes sensitivity to the culture of local communities; 5) firsthand knowledge of real-life global health work; and 6) an appreciation of the political, historical, social, behavioral, scientific, and cultural aspects of health in the search for sustainable solutions.
The Fall 2023 GHS Course List for students majoring or minoring in Global Health Studies is available.