Yale and Fiocruz Form Alliance for Global Health

Yale and Fiocruz Form Alliance for Global Health
08/28/14

“I am proud to announce this partnership with Fiocruz. I am certain that together our institutions can address key challenges for global health, develop innovative solutions through multidisciplinary programs, and create the next generation of global health leaders dedicated to this mission,” said President Peter Salovey.

During his trip to Brazil in July, President Peter Salovey met with Paulo Gadelha, president of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil’s leading public health and biomedical research institution, and signed an agreement creating the Fiocruz-Yale Alliance for Global Health. The objective of the Alliance is to promote health and equality in the Americas and other regions of the world through education and academic scholarship.

Yale will host a symposium on campus in November to allow colleagues of both institutions to discuss and outline specific Alliance initiatives. Topics of discussion will include the establishment of joint faculty collaborations and visiting professorships and the creation of new curricula grounded in research and practical experience. A large focus for these collaborations will be priority areas in health and research such as neglected diseases, application of immunology and translational medicine, social equity and health systems, and mental health.

Paul Cleary, dean of Yale School of Public Health, asserts that cross-geographical collaborations such as this one are crucial for confronting today’s pressing health issues. “By building networks and promoting exchange, scientists at both Yale and Fiocruz can advance discovery and progress for the greater—and global—good,” he says.

Most recently, Yale and Fiocruz sponsored a Collaborative Course on Ecological and Social Determinants of Health, a multidisciplinary program that gives students practical experience in analyzing critical environmental and socio-economic factors associated with widespread infectious diseases. The program took place in Salvador, where Fiocruz and Yale have a long-standing research and training program focused on infectious diseases such as leptospirosis, bacterial meningitis, acute respiratory infections, vaccine-preventable diseases, and dengue.  Fiocruz and Yale will sponsor a new series of courses that will include a Course on Clinical Epidemiology held in Brazil this October.

Professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases Albert Ko, who is heavily involved with Fiocruz and Yale projects in Salvador, says that the Alliance will serve as a launch pad, furthering current projects and generating new ones. “It’s an exciting opportunity for our institutions and for advancement, in science and in education, as well as making an impact on the emerging health challenges in the Americas and globally.”

- By Isadora Italia