Global Health

Global health aims to improve human health and global health equity by promoting the development of innovative, interdisciplinary solutions to contemporary health challenges. Global health topics range from acute threats posed by pandemic-prone infectious diseases and unequal access to medical care and technology, to emerging crises arising from climate change and non-communicable diseases. Students earning a certificate in global health develop a critical understanding of contemporary health challenges and inequities. Students will be able to explain how these challenges are rooted in historical experiences, global political-economic forces, and complex biological, ecological, and sociocultural circumstances. This knowledge will prepare students to propose, design, and develop innovative and equitable solutions to the most pressing health problems facing our modern world. To be effective, these solutions must extend across disciplines to everything from access to healthcare and biotechnologies to local, national, and international policy-making. Students are strongly encouraged to work with a MiraCosta counselor to ensure that this pathway certificate is incorporated into their selected general education pattern.