Harvard Global Health Institute

10/16/2026

🔬 HGHI

This week, we are spotlighting Thalia Viveros Uehara, PhD, a 2025 HGHI–Salata Burke Climate and Health Fellow whose research examines the intersection of climate change, public health, and human rights.

Through her Burke Fellowship project, “Litigating the Invisible: Climate Change and Health in the Global South,” Dr. Viveros-Uehara explored how climate litigation addresses the health impacts of climate change, particularly for communities facing structural inequalities and barriers to healthcare. Her work examines how legal systems can better account for the social determinants of health and advance more equitable approaches to climate justice.

🔗 Learn more about Dr. Viveros-Uehara and explore her recent publications: https://bit.ly/4jY5fzN

On October 29, Dr. Viveros-Uehara will moderate a panel at Judicial Dialogues on Health and Climate Change: Emerging Standards, Comparative Trajectories, and Future Directions at Harvard Law School. The panel, “Scholarship and Research: Normative Frameworks, Interdisciplinary Evidence, and the Future Architecture of Climate-Health Adjudication,” will bring together scholars across law, disability rights, environmental justice, and climate governance to explore how research can shape the future of climate-health litigation.

📅 Register to attend in person or join the livestream on October 29: https://bit.ly/4ynociQ

10/16/2026

What does it take to build a career in global health?

In the Careers in Global Health: Pathways, Challenges, and Opportunities panel, co-hosted by the Harvard Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS), four professionals shared their experiences navigating careers across research, clinical care, community partnerships, and nonprofit development.

From learning to listen to communities and build lasting relationships to developing transferable skills and staying open to unexpected opportunities, the discussion offered practical advice for students beginning to explore the field.

Thank you to our panelists, Himi Mathur, Hervet Randriamady, PhD, MS, Joel Sawady, and Cecilia Needham, for sharing their perspectives, and to our student moderator, Emefa Dake, for guiding the conversation.

What emerged was a reminder that building a meaningful career in global health takes more than technical expertise. It also requires adaptability, collaboration, and a willingness to keep learning.

🔗 Read the article for key insights and five takeaways for the next generation of global health professionals:

A recent panel co-hosted by the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) and the Mignone Center for Career Success. Careers in Global Health: Pathways, Challenges, and Opportunities brought together four professionals working across research, clinical care, community partnerships, and nonprofit develo...

10/15/2026

🔬 : The recording and resources are now available from our latest Research and Innovation Series session with Azza Hussein Idris, MD,PhD .

Dr. Idris presents how insights from potent human monoclonal antibodies are helping researchers identify vulnerabilities in Plasmodium falciparum and guide the design of next-generation malaria vaccines.

Moderated by Sarah K. Volkman, ScD, the session examines how understanding protective immune responses could help researchers develop more effective and durable approaches to malaria prevention.

🎥 Watch the recording and explore the resources:

In this Research and Innovation Session, Dr. Azza Idris discusses how insights from protective human monoclonal antibodies are informing the development of next-generation malaria vaccines, including approaches to designing immunogens that target conserved sites of vulnerability on P. falciparum.

10/13/2026

JOIN US TODAY @ 12:00 PM Eastern Time for a presentation by Azza Hussein Idris, MD,PhD on Leveraging Protective Antibodies to Guide Next-Generation Malaria Vaccine Design.

This webinar is free and open to the public and will include time for audience Q&A.

👉 Register here: https://bit.ly/4dTPl5F

In this presentation, Dr. Azza Idris will discuss how insights from protective human monoclonal antibodies are informing the development of next-generation malaria vaccines, including approaches to designing immunogens that target conserved sites of vulnerability on P. falciparum.

10/06/2026

What can the current Ebola response teach us about the strengths and vulnerabilities of today’s global health emergency systems?

Join Harvard Global Health Institute for a virtual webinar on October 30th from 9:00–10:00 a.m. Eastern Time exploring the leadership, partnerships, and challenges involved in responding to fast-moving health emergencies.

This conversation will bring together Dr. Marie Roseline Darnycka BELIZAIRE, Emergency Director for World Health Organization African Region, and Prof. Yap Boum II, Head of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Division at Africa CDC.

Together, they will examine how countries and partners coordinate during an outbreak, with discussion of national leadership, cross-border coordination, community trust, health-system capacity, financing, and international partnerships, and what is needed to strengthen outbreak preparedness and response beyond the current crisis.

The webinar is free and open to the public and will conclude with a live Q&A.

📌 Register here or by clicking the event below: https://bit.ly/4zl24qw

The Global Health Coffee Sessions are a virtual series of timely conversations at the intersection of health, policy, and global cooperation. Held on the last Friday of each month from 9:00–10:00 AM Eastern Time, this series brings together global health experts, policymakers, and practitioners fr...

10/05/2026

🚨 Applications are NOW OPEN for the 2027–2028 Harvard LEAD Fellowship for Promoting Women in Global Health!

The one-year fellowship is designed for experienced global health professionals from low- and middle-income countries seeking to strengthen their leadership skills, expand their professional networks, and advance their work in global health.

The fellowship includes:
• One-on-one leadership coaching and mentorship
• An executive education course and leadership masterclasses led by Harvard faculty
• Customized leadership development based on each fellow’s goals and areas for growth
• Speaking, networking, and independent project opportunities
• A six-week in-person experience at Harvard in Spring 2028

The fellowship is fully funded, with travel, housing, and visa fees covered for the in-person experience, along with a living stipend for the duration of the fellowship.

Applications are due by 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, November 15, 2026.

Learn more about the fellowship, eligibility requirements, and where to apply: https://bit.ly/4hH1L1M

Applications are now open for the 2027–2028 Harvard LEAD Fellowship for Promoting Women in Global Health. The one-year fellowship supports experienced global health professionals from low- and middle-income countries through leadership coaching, mentorship, executive education, networking, and a s...

09/25/2026

🌍 HGHI : Dr. Jalikatu Mustapha, MMed, MSc, BMBS

This week, we are pleased to spotlight Dr. Jalikatu Mustapha, a 2024–2025 Harvard LEAD Fellow and Deputy Minister of Health II in Sierra Leone, whose work spans health systems, maternal and child health, climate and health, and women’s health.

Dr. Mustapha was appointed Deputy Minister of Health II in July 2023, where she oversees a broad portfolio including clinical and laboratory services, ambulance and referral networks, sexual, reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health, mental health and substance use, climate change and health, and public-private partnerships.

Before entering national health leadership, Dr. Mustapha served as the head of Sierra Leone’s National Eye Health Program from 2019–2023. As a practicing ophthalmologist, she led blindness-prevention efforts that included mobile outreach to hard-to-reach communities and gender-focused interventions to improve access to eye care for women and girls. Her work reached more than 100,000 people and was recognized with the IAPB Eye Health Hero Award in 2020.

As a Harvard LEAD Fellow, Dr. Mustapha focused on developing the leadership skills to strengthen health systems and mentor the next generation of global health leaders. During her Harvard experience, she participated in leadership development and executive education at Harvard Kennedy School and went on to earn an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership.

Today, Dr. Mustapha continues to apply that leadership at the national level in Sierra Leone. She has been closely involved in efforts to advance maternal and child health and Universal Health Coverage, including work on Sierra Leone’s National Health Compact and the government’s 300 Days of Activism for Triple Zero.

At the Day 200 milestone of the Triple Zero campaign, Dr. Mustapha and Minister of Health Dr. Austin Demby reported a 31.3% reduction in maternal deaths, an 11.7% reduction in hospital child deaths, and progress beyond the campaign’s zero-dose vaccination target.

🎥 Watch the clip below to hear from Dr. Mustapha herself, as she discusses how Sierra Leone is working to sustain this momentum and translate progress into lasting improvements: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EuNu9LF3z/

We are proud to celebrate Dr. Mustapha and the work she continues to lead in Sierra Leone.

09/22/2026

We are excited to kick off the fall season of the Global Health Research and Innovation Speaker Series with an important conversation on the future of malaria vaccine design.

Join Azza Hussein Idris, MD,PhD, physician-scientist and Principal Investigator at the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard, as she discusses how insights from protective human monoclonal antibodies are helping researchers identify conserved vulnerabilities in Plasmodium falciparum and inform the design of next-generation malaria vaccines.

📅 October 13th

⏰ 12:00–12:45 PM Eastern Time

💻 Virtual Webinar on Zoom | Free & open to the public

💬 Audience Q&A included

👉 Register here: https://bit.ly/4dTPl5F

Dr. Idris will be joined by Sarah K. Volkman, ScD, Principal Research Scientist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, as moderator.

We are looking forward to launching our Fall 2026 Research and Innovation Speaker Series and to bringing together researchers, students, practitioners, and global health colleagues for these discussions.

In this presentation, Dr. Azza Idris will discuss how insights from protective human monoclonal antibodies are informing the development of next-generation malaria vaccines, including approaches to designing immunogens that target conserved sites of vulnerability on P. falciparum.

09/18/2026

🔬 HGHI : Shriya Srinivasan, PhD

This week, we are pleased to spotlight Dr. Shriya Srinivasan, our new Affiliated Faculty Member at the Harvard Global Health Institute whose work brings together bioengineering, neuroscience, medical technology, and global health.

Dr. Srinivasan is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard University and directs the Harvard Biohybrid Organs and Neuroprosthetics Lab. Her research focuses on developing neural interfaces that can restore or modulate organ function, including minimally invasive and ingestible technologies that engage the body’s native neural signaling pathways.

Her work is also opening new avenues for understanding mental health. As a recipient of the 2026 One Mind Lisa and Matt Sonsini Rising Star Award, Dr. Srinivasan is investigating the gut-brain connection and exploring how signals between the gut and brain may influence anxiety and depression. Her research aims to develop new approaches to modulating these pathways through targeted gastrointestinal neuromodulation.

Read more about the award: https://bit.ly/475PQWr

A strong focus throughout Dr. Srinivasan’s work is making medical innovation more accessible. She is the founder of the Project Prana Foundation, a nonprofit and one of our summer internship partners that focuses on expanding access to medical technology innovation in low-resource settings.

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Srinivasan to the HGHI community and look forward to the perspectives and interdisciplinary expertise she will bring to our work in global health.