Globalizing the Core Curricula in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

It is well-recognized that the practice of public health and applications of public health knowledge are borderless. Approaches to health system reform and population health problems are characterized by cross-border and multi-national partnerships. Accordingly, whether public health students pursue domestic, international or hybrid careers, their understanding and acknowledgement of the global reach and potential impact of their work is essential. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health undertook an initiative to enrich students' appreciation of the global roots and scope of public health. Specifically, work teams were created to introduce and reinforce global perspectives in required master's degree courses by: (1) Identifying and integrating pertinent and essential global content and perspectives. (2) Developing and renewing faculty members' understanding of the global implications and applications of their academic discipline. (3) Sharing experiences with this globalizing initiative among faculty across public health disciplines. Between January and June 2009, five required courses were targeted for global enrichment including core courses in Health Policy and Management, Health Behavior and Health Education, Epidemiology, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Biostatistics. Because several faculty members were involved with each core course, opportunities existed for faculty interaction and learning. Enhanced course content was integrated into course syllabi and implemented beginning in Fall 2009. This presentation describes the project methods, outcomes, evaluation, and lessons learned in globalizing a school of public health's core curricula, with emphasis on the effectiveness of the project, and the common themes/approaches and challenges faced by course work teams.