The Department of Global Health is pleased to announce that Dr. Gabrielle O’Malley has accepted the position of Vice-Chair. “She will be a tremendous addition to the DGH leadership team and I can't think of a better person to step into this role,” said Interim Chair Dr. Carey Farquhar. “Gabrielle brings to the position a data-driven approach to problem-solving, excellent listening and communication skills, and extensive leadership experience.” 

Every year, the University of Washington Department of Global Health (DGH) and the School of Public Health (SPH) honor exceptional graduate students who demonstrate a strong commitment to the field of global health. 

We’re pleased to share that the 2022 honorees are:

In March of 2021, Horacio Chacon Torrico arrived in Seattle to begin his second year of graduate studies at the University of Washington School of Public Health, after having completed the first two quarters remotely from his home in Lima, Peru. Within no more than a week of arriving, he received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. But as he scrolled through his Facebook feed, he saw posts from friends in Peru who grieved their lost loved ones from the pandemic. Chacon Torrico felt guilt at having so easily received his vaccine, when so many from his home country were suffering.

Today, May 17 is “International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia”. We celebrate the proud resistance and long struggle for basic rights waged by LBGTQIA2S+ activists and their allies. This struggle has a deep connection to public health activism. May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.