Here are your February community updates:
- Upcoming Events
- Funding Opportunities
- Employment Opportunities / Fellowships
- Research
- Global Health Community Highlights
- Opportunities to Engage
If you have an item to include in a future newsletter, let us know! Please write to us at cghadmin@mgh.harvard.edu.
Upcoming Events
Global Health Coffee Sessions
“Centering Equity and Impact in Global North-South Research Partnerships”
Friday, February 29, 2025
9 – 9:45 AM (EST)
This session will bring together leading voices in global health research, Bethany Hedt-Gauthier, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Vincent Cubaka, MD, MMed (FM), PhD, Head of Knowledge and Social Medicine Division at Partners In Health, to discuss their global research partnership, touching upon extractive research and exploring what their work looks like on the ground with best practices in decision-making, equity, and maintaining community relevance.
Global Health Coffee Sessions Registration Link
HGHI Global Health Research & Innovation Series
“Innovation to Transform Underperforming Health Systems”
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
12-12:45 AM (EST) | Virtual
Professor Rifat Atun will present an analysis of health systems responses to evolving challenges and identify areas of major underperformance. It will explore emerging innovations that could be harnessed to transform health systems to improve health outcomes and societal wellbeing.
2025 PHR National Student Conference
Friday, March 14 – Saturday, March 15, 2025
Harvard Medical School
The 2025 Physicians for Human Rights National Student Conference seeks to prepare students and trainees to be the bridge between medicine, science, and lawl to help secure human rights and justice for all people. Through tools and knowledge gained from learning, networking, and discovery, participants will be encouraged to be effective advocates for marginalized populations in the communities they serve. The two-day conference will include a student-led poster session, peer networking opportunities, and speakers and breakout sessions featuring local and national leaders in human rights advocacy work.
The conference is open to all undergraduate and graduate students, as well as related healthcare professionals. Register by March 7 at the link above or click the link below!
PHR Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-physicians-for-human-rights-national-student-conference-tickets-1043316536847?aff=oddtdtcreator
MGH Global Health Expo 2025
Monday, May 5, 2025
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Thier 101 Conference Room | 60 Blossom St. MGH Main Campus
Keep an eye out for the application to present at the Expo. The deadline is Tuesday, April 1.
Funding Opportunities
- MGH Center for Global Health Finish Line Grant (GHFLG) – Do you have a project that’s near completion? Do you need just a little more support to finish it? This grant program aims to serve as a catalyst for the completion of projects – as well as a way to support mentorship between MGH Global Health faculty and junior investigators and trainees. GHFLG awards can range from $500-$2,500 per award each year and are awarded on a rolling basis. They can be used to pay for protected time, childcare costs and more. See this document for more information and how to apply. Contact Lindsey Garrison at legarrison@mgh.harvard.edu with questions.
- MGH Global Health Service Awards – These awards were established to encourage innovation in the field of global health, recognize those who seek to advance clinical care and capacity for underserved populations, and emphasize the importance of global collaboration in healthcare. All employees of MGH and global partners are eligible for these awards, which are granted annually in any of the following three categories: Excellence in Research and Innovation, Excellence in Clinical Education and Mentorship, and Excellence in Global Disaster Response & Humanitarian Action. $2,000 will be awarded to support global health project related work. Nominations for this year’s awards will be accepted until Tuesday, April 1, 2025 via this online form, and award winners will be announced at the next Global Health Expo. Contact cghadmin@mgh.harvard.edu with any questions.
- MGH Global Health Community Engagement Awards – These awards aim to improve health equity and support community-based projects, humanitarian opportunities and requests for specialized assistance from NGOs. MGH staff and faculty are eligible for the awards, and their collaborators from partner institutions are also eligible. Do you have a community partner with whom you collaborate? This award funding could be quite strategically helpful to them. Learn more at this link.
- Identifying external funding opportunities with PIVOT – PIVOT is a library database that indexes funding announcements from government agencies, private foundations and nonprofits, and international sponsors. It contains information from disciplines including (but not limited to) medicine, the physical and social sciences, as well as engineering. For more information and to create your PIVOT account today, see this document. An in-depth presentation is also available here. Amy Robb, Associate Director of Prospective Research and Funding Opportunities, Corporate and Foundation Relations in the MGH Development Office, is the facilitator of the PIVOT database.
Employment Opportunities / Fellowships
- Training Program in Psychiatric Genetics and Translational Research (T32) – This program, led by Karestan Koenen, PhD, JP Onnela, PhD and CGH faculty member Alexander Tsai, MD, brings together faculty from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the MGH Division of Global Psychiatry to train epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and physician and non-physician clinicians with interests in a broad range of inquiry relevant to psychiatric genetics and analytical methods for translational mental health research, including global mental health, social and behavioral science, and psychiatric epidemiology. We offer dedicated mentorship, didactic seminars, formal coursework throughout Harvard-affiliated institutions, and access to a diverse community of cross-disciplinary scholars. Funding is for up to three years and includes salary, MPH tuition, travel to professional meetings, and other training-related expenses. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Please note: we have not yet received the notice of grant award but one is expected, and formal offers cannot be made until the notice of grant award is received. Please reach out to Dr. Tsai with questions at actsai@mgh.harvard.edu.
- Durant Fellowship in Refugee Medicine – This 1-year fellowship sponsors healthcare professionals to serve refugee populations and victims of humanitarian and natural disasters with up to $75,000 in salary support and other expenses. Selected projects will focus on refugee, migrant, and/or asylum-seeking populations. All MGH and BWH employees are eligible to apply. Learn more at this link or email globaldisasterresponse@partners.org with questions.
Research
General
CGH works with a PhD level statistician, who can offer biostatistical support as needed. Please contact Jessica Haberer at jhaberer@mgb.org with details about your statistical needs.
Recent Publications
Here is a selection of our community’s recent publications, alphabetized by first author. To share your published work in the next newsletter, please email cghadmin@mgh.harvard.edu.
- Ameli, Vira, Geoffrey Wong, Jane Barlow, Minoo Mohraz, Franziska Meinck, Leila Taj, Tayebeh Amiri, Abbas Boosiraz, Lora Sabin, and Jessica E. Haberer. “How Mobile Health Can Change the Contexts of Living With HIV and Engaging With Treatment and Care in Iran: A Realist-Informed Qualitative Study.” Qualitative Health Research 35, no. 2 (2025): 156-173. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10497323241256865
- Bhui, Kamaldeep, Aileen O’Brien, Rachel Upthegrove, Alexander C. Tsai, Mustafa Soomro, Giles Newton-Howes, Matthew R. Broome et al. “Protecting and promoting editorial independence.” The British Journal of Psychiatry 226, no. 1 (2025): 4-6. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/protecting-and-promoting-editorial-independence/E0714ACB3F3C8163554FEE20B92F6569
- Marc, Jean Bernard, Samuel Pierre, Othnia Ducatel, Fabienne Homeus, Abigail Zion, Vanessa R. Rivera, Nancy Dorvil et al. “Early initiation of fast‐track care for persons living with HIV initiating dolutegravir‐based regimens during a period of severe civil unrest in Port‐au‐Prince, Haiti: a pilot randomized trial.” Journal of the International AIDS Society 28, no. 2 (2025): e26419. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jia2.26419
- Perkins, Jessica M., Viola Nyakato, Bernard Kakuhikire, Julie Sriken, Cassandra O. Schember, Charles Baguma, Elizabeth B. Namara et al. “Misperception of norms about intimate partner violence as a driver of personal IPV attitudes and perpetration: a population-based study of men in rural Uganda.” Journal of interpersonal violence 40, no. 3-4 (2025): 803-827. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08862605241254143
- Phan, Tin, Ruy M. Ribeiro, Gregory E. Edelstein, Julie Boucau, Rockib Uddin, Caitlin Marino, May Y. Liew et al. “Modeling suggests SARS-CoV-2 rebound after nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment is driven by target cell preservation coupled with incomplete viral clearance.” Journal of Virology (2025): e01623-24. https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/jvi.01623-24
- Riedl, J. M., F. Fece de la Cruz, J. J. Lin, C. Parseghian, J. E. Kim, H. Matsubara, H. Barnes et al. “Genomic landscape of clinically acquired resistance alterations in patients treated with KRASG12C inhibitors.” Annals of Oncology (2025). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0923753425000523
- Spira, Alexander I., Kyriakos P. Papadopoulos, Dae Won Kim, Aparna Raj Parikh, Minal A. Barve, John D. Powderly, Alexander Starodub et al. “Preliminary safety, antitumor activity, and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) changes with RMC-9805, an oral, RAS (ON) G12D-selective tri-complex inhibitor in patients with KRAS G12D pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) from a phase 1 study in advanced solid tumors.” (2025): 724-724. https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2025.43.4_suppl.724
Global Health Community Highlights
Advancing Emergency Nursing Education in Rwanda
MGH Center for Global Health’s Global Disaster Response and Humanitarian Action is proud to share the success of our recently completed expanded Trauma Nursing Fundamentals training program in Rwanda, marking a significant milestone in our efforts to build and strengthen emergency healthcare capacity globally. Building on our traditional two-day Trauma Nursing Fundamentals Course (TNF)—developed and successfully implemented in wartime Ukraine and at our long-term partnership site in Mbarara, Uganda—this extended two-week course provided a comprehensive learning experience for Rwandan nurses in advanced emergency care.
The training, held at the University of Global Health Equity and Butaro Level 2 District Hospital, was taught by Dr. Lindsey Martin and Catherine “Skeeter” Welder of the MGH CGH in conjunction with Doreen Katushabe, BSN, RN and Josphine Najjuma, MSN, RN, nursing colleagues from Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MUST), Uganda. The course included both theoretical knowledge and practical experience — the first week focused on didactic learning through interactive discussion, case studies, and simulation, while the second week provided bedside mentorship in the hospital’s emergency department, allowing for hands-on skill application in the clinical setting.
Seventeen experienced nurses, averaging nine years in the field, participated in the course. The results were noteworthy: pre- and post-training assessments demonstrated a 111% increase in knowledge, alongside significant enhancement of nurses’ confidence in managing critically ill trauma patients. These outcomes highlight the profound impact of immersive, skills-based nursing education when given sufficient time for training.
As part of our commitment to strengthening global nursing education, Mary Sebert, the director of Global Nursing spent valuable time in country developing relationships with the nursing faculty at UGHE and hospital nursing leadership. She gained insight into the needs of hospital nurses while also exploring faculty-led ideas for advancing undergraduate and graduate nursing education.
This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to empowering global nursing professionals and strengthening emergency care systems worldwide. We look forward to continuing to support frontline nurses in delivering high-quality, life-saving care.
Welcome CGH Clinical Research Coordinator, Sofia Chu DeChristofaro!
Sofie is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Center for Global Health. In this position, she provides research support for a project assessing the experiences of asylum seekers who participate in health-related social needs screening at the MGH Asylum Clinic. She is also a Clinical Research Coordinator for the MGH Center for Immigrant Health, where she collaborates with an interdisciplinary team providing mental health services to immigrant communities.
Sofie is particularly interested in health disparities, structural violence, and ethnographic and qualitative research methods. She holds a BA in Medical Anthropology from Barnard College and previously interned with the Disparities Research Unit at MGH.
CGH 2024 Year in Review
Click on the link here or on the thumbnail below to view the annual report, which highlights the Center for Global Health’s accomplishments and work in the past year!
Global Nursing Survey
The MGH GDHRA team has created a survey with the goal to better understand the engagement of Mass General Brigham (MGB) nursing staff and advanced practice providers in global health and emergency response work.
Nurse participation will direct resources into developing future MGB-related opportunities to participate in serving the global community. We plan to disseminate the findings back to the MGB nursing community and possibly the broader nursing field through publication.
Please fill out the survey linked here and in the button below, if applicable. The survey should take approximately 2-5 minutes to complete.
MGH Global Health Community Meeting
Every month, members of the MGH Global Health community gather to hear updates from all the different divisions. Click on the buttons below to view highlights from this month’s meetings.
Opportunities to Engage
- The MGH Center for Global Health has developed a clinical academic partnership with the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE). UGHE is a global university based in rural northern Rwanda, founded by Partners in Health, which aims to transform global health delivery by reimagining medical education. Amongst other programs, the university is training medical students as part of a MBBS program and is looking for visiting faculty on their clinical clerkships. If you are interest in teaching at UGHE as Visiting Faculty, please contact cghadmin@mgh.harvard.edu.
- Interested in becoming a Global Health Faculty Associate or Affiliate? Learn more here.
- Mass General’s Hispanic Psychiatry Clinic is continuing to grow. They are accepting referrals for monolingual Spanish-speaking patients who receive primary specialty care at MGH. PCPs can refer patients for psychopharmacology services via the PTIS Epic referral or contact the clinic at 617-643-7998.
- We are building a Global Health Library in our office. Feel free to stop by, check out a book and please add books to the list here. Some suggested topics to get you thinking include: diversity, equity and inclusion, global health, leadership and decolonizing global health. We are excited to see your picks!
Keep in Touch!
All past issues of this monthly newsletter are available on our website. Just click here, or on “Stories” under “NEWS & EVENTS” on the Center for Global Health website.
If you want to include a news item, opportunity or anything else in a future monthly newsletter, you can reach us at cghadmin@mgh.harvard.edu.
