A Message from the Director

The field of global health continues to undergo dramatic changes, which have accelerated in the last year – with shifting funding priorities for global health research and practice in the Global North and commitment to address issues of inequities affecting vulnerable populations in resource-limited settings. These changes threaten the existence and survival of global health institutions and academic global health programs more than any other time in recent history. Perhaps, we will look back to this period in the future as the tipping point when the face of global health changed permanently as we have previously known it. Whereas the Sparkman Center remains undaunted in its mission to advance health of vulnerable populations in resource-limited settings through interdisciplinary education, research, and practice, it recognizes the need to respond to the changes in global health in how we achieve this mission. Hence, in 2024, we prioritized education, research, and practice to support implementation of solutions that address key global health problems (as opposed to discovery or characterizing problems) – and establishing depth (as opposed to spread) in long-term, on-the-ground, and equitable partnerships to achieve this mission in key regions of the world.

We continued efforts to build structure and infrastructure to fulfill these priorities by reorganizing our Center to facilitate organizational efficiency and programming, and we established an interdisciplinary core of faculty within the Sparkman Scholars program to focus on dissemination and implementation science and knowledge translation of evidence-based solutions and approaches in global health settings, internationally and in rural Alabama and Southeast region of the United States.

We re-established the UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health Summer Institute to provide advance training in implementation research to address health inequities globally, and welcomed over 25 post-graduate trainees, including academics, practitioners from more than 10 countries to Birmingham for an intensive one-week workshop that generated multiple projects addressing inequities and solutions to global health problems in topics ranging from maternal and child health, HIV, mental health, cancers and other non-communicable diseases in different countries of the world. We also began to lay the groundwork for establishing a regional field site in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to be more proximal to partners and populations in these regions working collaboratively to advance global health.

We also continued to work collaboratively with UAB faculty, staff, students, alumni, and global partners through the Sparkman Scholars and Fellows program, UAB student scholarships, Peace Corps Prep, global health case competitions, the Global Health Interest Group (GHIG), NIH-funded D43 global health research training, faculty pilot research, seminars, newsletter, social media, and advancing global health agenda and discussions through the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH), and more.

Yet, there is still more work to be done. The forces contending against global health are not resting and we also must not rest in innovations to stay true to our mission. I am grateful to all Center staff, UAB faculty, students, staff, alumni, and global partners without whom these activities would not be possible – and to the Dean of the UAB School of Public Health for his tireless support championing our mission.

-Dr. Olakunle Alonge, MD, PhD, MPH

Annual Reports

Check out our annual reports below to learn more about the Center.

Shared Values

Above all else, we value:

• Respect and Engagement: Celebrating societies, cultures, and individuals across the globe while promoting social justice and human rights
• Ethical Behavior and Integrity: Adhering to the highest ethical standards of integrity and transparency in our work with partners and communities to eliminate global health inequities
• Collegiality and Collaboration: Practicing respect and accountability in the workplace and modeling professional and equitable global partnerships
• Academic Excellence and Freedom: Pursuing evidence-based scholarship in all endeavors through free exploration in research, education, community engagement, and global health practice
• Global Citizenship: Contributing to efforts to enhance the ways that UAB and the broader community think and act as global citizens
• Sustainability and Environmental Protection: Promoting sustainable economic development and solutions that contribute to environmental justice and reduce negative impact on the global environment

Mission Pillars

The Sparkman Center for Global Health's mission is supported by three fundamental pillars. These are:

• Education: graduate and undergraduate global health educational programs and opportunities for UAB students, faculty, and community
• Research: support for research and scholarship conducted by UAB faculty, staff, and students in collaboration with global partners
• Global health practice and community engagement: training, empowerment, knowledge dissemination, capacity building, and workforce development in global partner countries and the UAB community

Foundations

The Sparkman Center for Global Health Mission Pillars rest on three foundations. These are:

• Collaborative Organizational Culture: Fostering respect, openness, and teamwork in an organizational culture that thrives on inclusive and equitable participation, and supports education, research, community engagement, and global health practice
• Fiscal Responsibility and Resource Development:  Practicing fiscal soundness and appropriate use of resources, as well as fostering organizational development to ensure a diverse and sustainable resource portfolio
• Interdisciplinarity: Involving and fostering networking and partnerships across all disciplines at UAB and beyond

Sparkman Center Podcast - Navigating Global Public Health

Navigating Global Public Health is a podcast centered around the UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health's mission of connecting global health solutions to communities around the world.

In this series, the Sparkman Center for Global Health addresses health concerns in communities around the world, offers guidance through trending and confusing health-related information, and discusses the current and future landscape of global public health.

The series will include interviews and case studies with experts in their respective areas of expertise.

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Player FM, and The Podcast Index.