Global Health

The Global Health program helps students explore health challenges both locally and abroad.

“Reimagining global health in the post-COVID-19 world requires that we address the intersecting systems of supremacy that continue to limit our ability to achieve equity and justice. Inequities are not only about the needs and concerns of the disadvantaged, but also the systems that create disadvantages.”

Professor Seye Abimbola and colleagues in “Addressing power asymmetries in global health: Imperatives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic”

 
 

About the program

Healthcare comprises more than knowledge of science and medicine – the health of individuals and communities is also shaped by wider economic, social, and political factors in our interconnected world. Global health is a compelling and growing field of study that examines the health of communities on an international scale, paying attention to issues of justice, inequality, and problems that transcend borders. The interdisciplinary Global Health Minor takes a liberal arts approach to the study of health within a global context. The unique courses and training provided by the minor will help students analyze some of the most pressing problems that shape our world, preparing students for exciting careers in healthcare, public policy, international service, and more.

Photo: Faith Gronda ’22 presents at the Society for Applied Anthropology conference on her work with Dream of Wild Health, an organization to restoring the health and well-being of Native communities by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous foods, medicines and lifeways.

 

Experiential Learning

Enrich your global health studies with hands-on learning. Participate in service learning trips as a part of semester-long and embedded study abroad programs. Do summer internships through the Summer Leadership Fellowships, participate in the Global Health Affairs club or conduct global health research with our Global Health faculty. Our global health advisors can discuss which opportunities might be a good fit for you.

Photo: CSB and SJU students on the Chiapas, Mexico study abroad program visit Maya Vinic, an indigenous-led cafetal (coffee grove). This certified organic coffee cooperative was started by an indigenous community in response to decades of oppression by the government. This coffee cooperative is the heart of this community, it was “born from the fight” and stands as an infrastructure of dignity.

 

Meet the Profs

Faculty

Flexible Curriculum

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of global health, the minor is intended for students from any major.

Curriculum

Hands-on Learning

Clubs, Summer Leadership Fellows, Study Abroad

Student Resources

Edwin and students

Global health students met with Edwin Torres ’16 who spoke about his experiences working at the intersections of public policy and public health. Edwin has worked for Senator Tina Smith, Senator Amy Klobachar, and currently serves as the political director for Walz-Flanagan for Minnesota. Edwin received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Policy at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Career Paths

Students with a global health minor will be prepared for a wide variety of careers both locally and internationally in healthcare, public health, non-profit work and more.
  • Public Health
  • Medical School
  • Peace Corps/humanitarian agencies/NGOs
  • International Services/development/program management/disaster relief
  • Social Work/Social Services with diverse populations
  • Public policy/healthcare policy/policy analyst/consultant/government agencies
  • Health administration/health economics
  • Public nutrition/food security

Why Global Health?

Feel free to reach out to any of our student or alum ambassadors with questions about global health at CSB and SJU, graduate school opportunities or careers in global health.

Connect with an ambassador

College of Saint Benedict
Saint John’s University

Ellen Block, Ph.D.
Sociology Department
SJU Simons Hall 118
320-363-3193