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In our increasingly global community, career options are vastly different from what they were even twenty years ago. One example is the new emphasis on global health research, a field focusing on the advancement of public health knowledge, promotion of health and well being, and prevention of disease, disability, and premature mortality around the world. Previously generalized under the “public health” category, global health programs now focus specifically on international practice.

One such program exists at Tulane University. Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is the oldest school of public health in the country and is the only American school of tropical medicine. It’s global health program emphasizes academic excellence in education of public health professionals, rigorous scientific research of public health problems, creative partnerships to advance the practice of public health, and innovative service to the local, national, and international public health community.

Students attending Tulane in pursuit of a global health degree can study the global health program through six academic departments:

1. biostatics and bioinformatics
2. global community health and behavioral sciences
3. global environmental health sciences
4. epidemiology
5. global health systems and development
6. tropical medicine

The global health program at Tulane is populated by 1,400 students and 100 faculty members, representing more than 70 cultures from around the world.

The school also enjoys reciprocal relationships with other Tulane units, like the School of Medicine, Regional Primate Research Center, Center for Infectious Diseases, Center for Bioenvironmental Research, and Center for Excellence in Women’s Health.

According to one site, the prospects for global health graduates are excellent. Students spend six to nine years in school, but can expect to make up to $86,625. In an overview of the field, it states that global health addresses the health of people living in low- and middle-income countries. Health concerns in these countries typically include infectious and tropical diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, STDs, and malaria, as well as chronic and non infectious diseases. Global health also addresses mental illness and the health consequences of trauma, violence, war, and displacement.

Students who are interested in taking their passions for health and wellness around the world can consider the global health program offered by Tulane. As the world becomes smaller, we have to think bigger.