Kristen Jogerst, a second-year Geisel student, was selected to the inaugural Education Committee of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH).
Jogerst says being selected to the Education Committee of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health is "very exciting. I am hoping that with a lot of work, standards will be set to involve more students and universities in the field of global health, and that those involved gain the skills they need to be effective with the field."
CUGH is the leading organization for global health at the university level. Through its educational programs, it defines standards and competencies in global health education, and addresses the needs of students, educators, and trainees as they develop into global health leaders. The Education Committee recommends education-related priorities to the Board of CUGH and oversees CUGH's education programs. The Committee, newly formed in 2013, consists of 13 members including just two students from across the nation.
"How exciting to have one of our students be in on the groundbreaking work in this new field," says Lisa Adams, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and associate dean for global health. "I think it speaks to the kind of medical students that we get at Geisel who are recognized across a national application process for their capabilities, abilities, accomplishments, and their potential."
"I am very pleased that Geisel and the entire Dartmouth enterprise—the College and its graduate schools—are an institutional member of CUGH because that demonstrates an important commitment to global health," she says.
Jogerst has a longtime interest in global health. In Haiti, she was clinic manager for a volunteer medical team, and served as a volunteer translator for the Haiti Medical Education Project through the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science. "My hope [with CUGH] is that our education standards are effectively implemented," she says. "I would love to see more universities and students involved in global health by the time I graduate from Geisel in 2017."
Jogerst plans to share insights from her work at CUGH through a series of forums with the broader Dartmouth community. "It will give us all at Geisel, and Dartmouth, a chance to hear about the cutting-edge thoughts on global health education," says Adams. "Global health interests expand across not just the Geisel students but across the entire campus—including sociology, anthropology, engineering."