CUGH Trainee Advisory Committee: Bringing the trainee perspective to global health leadership and education

Abstract

According to the 2011 report developed by the Committee on Underrepresented Groups and the Expansion of the Science and Engineering Workforce Pipeline and the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, "America is at a crossroads" in which greater national efforts to strengthen infrastructures of science must include the knowledge and talents of minority Americans. They believe inclusion of a variety of Americans will significantly enhance the sustainability of the nation, and at present such contributions are underrepresented in fields such as science and engineering. Concurrently, there is a lack of participation of minority groups in global health which inspired a partnership between the Consortium of Universities for Global Health and the Public Health Institute to develop the Global Health Engagement Initiative. Through this agreement, the collaborative has researched and produced data detailing the involvement of minority and underserved populations in global health academic programs and activities in universities and colleges across the United States and its Territories. The Initiative also specifically reached out to Minority-Serving Institutions to better understand the opportunities available to students through existing international programs as well as obstacles faced at individual and institutional levels that need to be addressed. This presentation will discuss these findings and offer recommendations for engagement of minorities in the field in global health.