“When I began the journey as the Global Health Institute director in 2022, I wanted to expand the Wisconsin Idea worldwide and utilize a One Health approach that leverages UW–Madison’s expertise across its diverse schools and colleges for improving health for all humans, animals, and plants. Our One Health Center network exemplifies our dedication to innovative solutions and collaborative partnerships across academia, government, industry and NGOs. Through this network, GHI empowers UW students and researchers to navigate complex health challenges with a holistic perspective, transcending disciplinary and geographic boundaries. I am proud of the work our team is doing to ensure outcomes resonate locally and globally, benefiting communities in Wisconsin and beyond.”
— Jorge Osorio, director, GHI
The Global Health Institute (GHI) uses five strategic focus areas as a guide for research, education, and capacity building. We promote UW faculty research internationally and facilitate undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral programming, field courses, and strategic exchanges to boost innovation and health for all through our collaborative and innovative One Health Center (OHC) network. The five focus areas are: emerging infectious diseases; climate and land use change; resource security: food, water, and energy; social, cultural, and economic equity; and human, animal, and plant health.
The GHI-OHC network is built on strategic relationships with academia, governments, industry, and nongovernmental organizations to offer UW students and trainees a broader understanding of health and disease and provide researchers with deeper dimensions to their projects. There are currently three OHCs in various stages around the world located in emerging and infectious disease “hot spots”: Colombia, Sierra Leone, and India. GHI is also considering additional OHC’s in areas of the world identified as critical global health security locations.
The GHI-OHC network offers a framework to move research out of the lab into real-world settings. When results are translated into action, partners immediately assess the social, cultural, political, and environmental effects of each intervention. The results benefit Wisconsin as well as the world.
Exciting and impactful developments are happening at GHI. We welcome you to visit our website, ghi.wisc.edu and each of our One Health Centers across the globe, attend our monthly Global Health Tuesday webinars and Annual Symposium (April 10, 2024), and sign up for our weekly digital newsletter, Events +, to learn more about how we are innovation catalysts, creating global health solutions for a world safe from infectious disease threats and improving health for all.