Hands-on experiences in global health are essential for inspiring the next generation of innovators and equipping them to address health challenges worldwide.

However, financial barriers often prevent students, trainees, and faculty from participating in these opportunities. These limitations not only hinder the development of the needed global health workforce but also restrict the vital exchange of knowledge and skills needed to reduce health disparities worldwide.

Strategic Goal

The primary goal of the Global Health Travel Awards Program, an initiative of the UAB Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH), is to support transformative global health experiences in research, education, and service, for undergraduate and graduate students, residents, fellows, and faculty. The Program provides funding that will enable those crucial experiences around the world and will also provide opportunities for international partners to engage in experiences in the United States.

Travel Awards will: 

• Support International Collaboration: Provide travel awards to support UAB students, trainees, and faculty to visit international partner institutions and to enable students, trainees, and faculty from those institutions to visit UAB. This initiative will promote bidirectional collaboration, enhancing the development of the global health workforce.

• Promote Academic Exchange and Innovation: Fund opportunities for students, trainees, and faculty to participate in a variety of activities, including research projects, formal or informal educational activities, and rotations for clinical service or field work.

• Strengthen Global Partnerships: Enhance existing collaborations and spark new ones through scholarly exchange, mentorship opportunities, and joint programming.

Transformational Value and Investing in the Future

The Global Health Travel Awards Program aims to reduce financial barriers to global health engagement and to establish a sustainable pathway for ongoing, bidirectional collaboration. The Program would directly support the core mission of the MHIGH to improve overall health and functional well-being and promote equity in health outcomes for populations worldwide.

Your contribution will help reduce global health disparities, strengthen international partnerships, and support the training of the next generation of global health leaders.

Thank you for thoughtfully considering this opportunity to support the Global Health Travel Awards Program. We are confident that your support will have a meaningful impact on the next generation of global health leaders. 

More about MHIGH

MHIGH’s overarching goal is to improve overall health and well-being and promote equity in health outcomes among people around the world. The institute aims to establish a coordinated, comprehensive, and sustainable infrastructure that fosters educational opportunities, facilitates high-quality biomedical research, and provides multidirectional services, capacity building, and mutual support to address pressing global health challenges.