A core tenet of the Department of Global Health’s mission is understanding the causes of health inequities at multiple levels, including ways that health intersects with other pressing issues facing the global population. For David Frantz, a third-year undergraduate student in the University of Washington Global Health minor, that meant exploring ways that health can be weaved together with his other academic interests.

Jennifer Velloza spent a year crisscrossing the grass-covered plains and sloping hills of rural Swaziland, dividing her time among ten medical clinics in this small southern African country. Here, nearly one in four people have HIV — and that rate is even higher among women.

As a study manager for Doctors Without Borders, Velloza saw many pregnant and postpartum women struggle to get the HIV testing and treatment they needed, because they were also suffering from sexual trauma, depression or anxiety.

“We’re training the next generation of global leaders. Every graduate, from Spokane or Shanghai, leaves with a global perspective. The University of Washington is fostering global connections that build a better world. I invite you to learn more.” - UW President Ana Mari Cauce

The Department of Global Health is committed to training health professionals from diverse communities and helping to fund the education of such students. Recipients are selected by committee based on academic merit, a deep personal experience with, and connection to, diverse cultures, and demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity within the field of global health.