About Us
The Center for Global Health and Economic Development (CGHED) is based at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. CGHED provides research, education, policy and operational programs that focus on the intersections of global health and economic development. CGHED focuses on the role of the health sector in relation to other sectors, such as infrastructure, agriculture and education. Through this interdisciplinary approach, CGHED develops programs that focus on scaling up access to health care in developing countries.
New models for innovative and economically sustainable health interventions aim at strengthening health systems in developing countries to address the major global health challenges of our time, such as malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases. Local, national and global financing mechanisms for the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals are at the core of several of the Center’s projects.
CGHED programs focus on demonstrating the benefits of increased investments in health on sustainable economic growth. CGHED’s research and operational experience in global health is designed to lead to the development of policies promoting sustainable development. The Center provides scientific, technical and policy advice to the governments of several developing countries. CGHED is also focused on studying health in the context of an integrated rural development project--the Millennium Villages project--and other scaling-up initiatives.
Key aspects of CGHED’s mission include:
- Scaling up innovative and effective public health interventions that strengthen health systems and community development.
- Fostering new discoveries that lead to improved health in developing countries.
- Informing policy debates.
- Expanding the field of public health and sustainable development.
- Disseminating public health information and increasing public health awareness.
CGHED effectively brings together the people, knowledge and logistics needed to remain a strong and innovative player in the struggle to address current global health challenges.