Global Health
Making a difference in the health of people around the world.
Race. Gender. Socioeconomic status. Nationality. None of those identifiers should impact a person’s access to good health. Through a unique combination of coursework in D.C. and international practice, students in the Department of Global Health research and implement multisector health initiatives aimed at improving the wellbeing of people everywhere.
MPH and PhD Programs
Whether you are interested in Global Health policy or program design, we have the graduate program for you.
Our Global Health Department offers several different master's programs including Global Health Program Design, Monitoring and Evaluation, Global Health Policy, Global Environmental Health, Global Health Epidemiology and Disease Control, and Humanitarian Health. Additionally, we have a PhD program available to interested prospective students.
Meet Our Department Chair
James M. Tielsch, PhD, MHSc
Department Chair and Professor
James M. Tielsch is Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Dr. Tielsch also holds an Adjunct Professor appointment in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A graduate of the University of Washington and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Professor Tielsch has been engaged in epidemiologic research and service in a number of areas both domestically and internationally.
Student Opportunities
Global Health Overseas
Opportunities Abroad
Each semester, faculty, staff and students from the Department of Global Health can be found around the world practicing what they teach and learn in the classrooms of GW.
Global Health in DC
In Our Own Community
Located in the heart of the nation's capital, the Department of Global Health offers a front row seat on the city – and the world.
Global Health at GW
Here on Campus
GW is home to a wide range of global health research and practice activities both within the Department of Global Health and across the University.
Explore Global Health
Research
GWSPH students have opportunities to impact health here in our own community at GW, in DC and also in different countries abroad.
Practice Experience
Our extensive partner network enables students to work with top Washington, D.C. health organizations as practice settings.
Careers and Alumni
Earning one of our degrees can lead to a wide range of professional opportunities. Click for a sampling and alumni profiles.
New In Global Health
Former Peace Corps Volunteer Puts Her MPH to Work
As a Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique, Samira Traore ’22 had to learn to shift on the fly. So when COVID-19 cut her assignment in the Southeastern African country from 27 months to 10 months, she pivoted to The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health for an MPH in Humanitarian Health. “I went to Mozambique as a community health service promoter. I wanted to lean into that more and understand the role that public health professionals can play in the global community,” she says.
Department News
GWSPH Celebrates Installation of Endowed Professors Alison Barkoff and Timothy Holtz
May 22, 2025
GWSPH Celebrates Installation of Endowed Professors Alison Barkoff and Timothy Holtz
The Public Health Scholars Program Announces New Incoming Cohort
December 12, 2024
The Public Health Scholars Program (PHSP) at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) is delighted to announce a new incoming cohort of PHSP Scholars.
Congratulations to Dr. Wendy Ellis, Awarded the Academy on Violence and Abuse’s Vincent J. Felitti Distinguished Scholar Award
September 13, 2024
Dr. Wendy Ellis recently won the Academy on Violence and Abuse’s Vincent J. Felitti Distinguished Scholar Award.