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Department of Global Health

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Department of Global Health is an academic department within the School of Public Health at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.[1]

The department was begun with funding supplied by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[2][3]

Selection of the chair

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Jim Yong Kim, formerly of Partners in Health and the WHO HIV/AIDS program, was originally a candidate for director of the department, but was not selected. A controversial second selection process involving three new candidates took place in late 2005 and early 2006. The process was criticized for not being open, and there was concern[4][5] among the student body and faculty about the chosen chair. Some feared that the department would be too heavily oriented towards biomedical research and biotechnology (e.g. vaccine development) and would neglect the broader issues of public health, such as social justice, health disparities, prevention, promotion, human resources in health, and public policy. Some also feared that the areas of education and service would be sacrificed for a research agenda, and pointed to the fact that one of the first steps in implementing the department was the leasing of a large facility off campus in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood - an area being developed as a biotechnology hub.[6]

On September 8, the University of Washington announced King K. Holmes, MD, PhD, a world leader in AIDS and infectious disease research and training, to become the first chair of the University of Washington's new Department of Global Health.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Departments | UW School of Public Health". sph.washington.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  2. ^ Perry, Nick. “UW to add global health studies.” The Seattle Times, 24 June 2005, (accessed July 17, 2009).
  3. ^ Paulson, Tom. “UW gets global-health shot in the arm $30 million from Gates Foundation.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 19 Jan. 2006, (accessed July 17, 2009).
  4. ^ Paulson, Tom. “Concern over new UW department.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 17 Feb. 2006, (accessed July 17, 2009).
  5. ^ Erkkinen, Meghan. “Student voices an issue.” The Daily of the University of Washington, 23 Feb. 2006, (accessed July 17, 2009).
  6. ^ Engleman, Eric. “UW signs lease at Seattle’s South Lake Union.” Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle), 11 Jan. 2006, (accessed July 17, 2009).
  7. ^ Paulson, Tom. “UW picks Holmes to lead new global health program.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8 Sept. 2006, (accessed July 17, 2009).
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