Monday 10 April 2017 4:07pm
The University of Otago has recently named the Otago Global Health Institute (OGHI) as one of its 12 flagship research centres.
The institute brings together more than 140 researchers from all divisions of the University to conduct multi-disciplinary research with collaborators in low- and middle-income countries, and with disadvantaged groups closer to home, to contribute to solving the world's most pressing health problems.
Global health at the University of Otago has grown rapidly over the past decade, nurtured between 2008 and 2015 by the Otago International Health Research Network, a University of Otago research theme.
The institute's leadership group is formed from existing network members from across the University; these academics represent a wide variety of academic disciplines, but all are researching in the fields connected to global health.
Professor David Fielding from the Division of Commerce and Professor John Crump from the Division of Health Sciences are the inaugural Co-Directors of the OGHI.
“Otago has extraordinary depth and breadth in a range of academic disciplines central to global health research,” says Professor Fielding.
“However, the strength and track-record in global health can be hidden within traditional university organisational structures. OGHI fuses the University's collective strengths in global health and presents it clearly to the outside world.”
Professor Crump says partnership is the basis of all global-health work and New Zealand has a “distinct approach to international engagement that we can build from”.
“We are fortunate to have outstanding collaborators in low- and middle-income countries who have invited us to engage with them on their priority health concerns. By mustering the technical and training strengths across the University, we can work together towards solving complex health problems while developing the next generation of global-health leaders abroad and at home.”
OGHI aims to:
- Expand cross-disciplinary work by shared leadership of the Institute
- Build on established successful international collaborations and develop new partnerships in Asia, Africa, and our Pacific neighbours
- Grow global-health research at the University through competing for and winning major global-health grants proposed by coalitions of OGHI members
- Promote the University of Otago's strengths in global health research
About the Otago Global Health Institute
About University of Otago Research Centres
For more information, please contact:
Professor David Fielding
Donald Reid Professor of Economics
Co-Director, Otago Global Health Institute
Tel: 64 3 479 8653
Email david.fielding@otago.ac.nz
Professor John A Crump
McKinlay Professor of Global Health
Co-Director, Otago Global Health Institute
Email john.crump@otago.ac.nz
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