MCW Office of Global Health

About the Medical College of Wisconsin Office of Global Health

History of International and Global Health at the Medical College of Wisconsin

MCW has had a rich history of international and global engagement that dates back to 1981. It was that year, in collaboration with community leader Elmer Winters, the Founder of Manpower, that MCW co-established the Wisconsin Indochinese Refugee Relief Fund. Through today, MCW has been and continues to be an essential leader and is integral to this important collaborative work and its future impact as a credible and trustworthy source of global health efforts.

Message from the Founding Associate Dean Stephen Hargarten, MD, MPH

The Office of Global Health was established in January 2010 at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). Our vision for MCW is to be a leader in global health that promotes health equity across neighborhoods and nations. Our mission is to advance MCW’s mission of education, research, patient care, and community engagement through multi-institutional collaborations. Our goal is to develop a sustainable framework for multidisciplinary collaboration that integrates and advances the global health sciences.

MCW is uniquely positioned to address this goal. We have nearly 200 faculty from virtually all departments participating in or who have participated in global health activities across 80 countries. We are committed to assisting faculty in formalizing their existing partnerships and creating new collaborations locally and worldwide to address global health from neighborhoods to nations.

MCW offers a wealth of interest, expertise, and resources in global health efforts. Intentional interdisciplinary collaboration across our departments could increase sustainable funding opportunities, create credible and educational learning environments for MCW faculty and trainees, and synergize efforts to address health disparities locally and worldwide.

As the catalyzing agent, we take advantage of the diverse skills and experiences of our faculty and trainees. Together, we strive to improve the health of those most in need locally and worldwide. 

More Information

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Consortiums

The Medical College of Wisconsin has institutional memberships to local and international consortiums for global health.

Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH)cugh_logo
MCW is a member of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (UCUGH). CUGH is the largest consortium of academic institutions in the world involved in global health. With over 19,000 individual members and 145 institutions worldwide, MCW is part of this interdisciplinary network whose mission is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge to address global health challenges by creating equity and reducing health disparities. In line with MCW’s four missions, CUGH promotes mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships dedicated to building human capital across education, research, and service.

At a Glance

The Office of Global Health's mission is to advance MCW’s mission of education, research, patient care, and community engagement through multi-institutional collaborations. Our vision for MCW to be a leader in global health that promotes health equity across neighborhoods and nations.

Our goal is to develop a sustainable framework for multidisciplinary collaboration that integrates and advances the global health sciences.

Strategic Objectives

  • Establish credible local and global partnerships with community-based organizations, universities, medical schools, and healthcare delivery sites that offer education, research, patient care, and community engagement opportunities for MCW faculty, medical and graduate students, residents, and fellows.
  • Implement standardized agreements with local and global organizations to assure credit and excellence for trainee and faculty participation.

Guiding Principles

  • Collaboration
  • Credibility
  • Health equity
  • Multidisciplinary
  • Partnership
  • Reciprocity
  • Social justice
  • Sustainability

View MCW Global Health 2021 Facts (PDF)

Milwaukee Global Health Landscape Study

For the past three decades, the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area has been an advocate for and leader in global health research, education, training, and technology commercialization. Companies, universities, nonprofits, civil society organizations, and government agencies have worked together to strengthen health and safety locally and globally, with the goal of reducing disparities and inequities, for the world's diverse populations.

To measure the breadth and depth of greater Milwaukee's global health activities and to communicate the sector's impacts on the regional economy, the Milwaukee Global Health Consortium commissioned an inaugural economic landscape study by RTI International.

Based on the data provided by these organizations, RTI estimates that the greater Milwaukee global health sector generated direct employment of 6,132 people and $2.901 billion of economic activity. When the secondary and tertiary impacts of spending by greater Milwaukee global health organizations and employees are included, the greater Milwaukee global health sector supported 16,961 total jobs, $1.308 billion in labor income, $4.671 billion in economic output, and $143.8 million in state and local taxes for the state of Wisconsin.

Read the Landscape Study's full report (PDF) or executive summary (PDF).

Office Leadership

Faculty

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Laura Cassidy, MS, PhD

Associate Dean for Global Health

lcassidy@mcw.edu

(414) 955-8546

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Megan L. Schultz, MD, MA

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics; Director, Global Child Health; Co-Director, Global Health Pathway; Assistant Director, Pediatric Clerkship; Assistant Director, Pediatric Residency Global Health Track

Research Interests: Global health, Education, Procedural sedation

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Stephen Hargarten, MD, MPH

Founding Associate Dean for Global Health

hargart@mcw.edu

(414) 805-6454

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Mara Lord, PhD, MBA

Assistant Professor, Epidemiology and Social Sciences and Global Engagement; Senior Vice President University Engagement & Strategic Planning

mlord@mcw.edu

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Constance Shumba, PhD

Assistant Director, Assistant Professor

cshumba@mcw.edu

(414) 955-8800

Other Global Health Leaders Across MCW

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Global Health Education Faculty Leaders

Global Health Student Organization
Faculty/Role: Taylor Sonnenberg, Faculty Advisor
Academic Home: Emergency Medicine
Trainee Group: All students

Global Surgery Student Organization
Faculty/Role: Chris Dodgion, Faculty Advisor
Academic Home: Surgery
Trainee Group: Medical Students

Master of Science in Global Health Equity
Faculty/Role: Laura Cassidy, Director
Academic Home: Institute of Health and Equity
Trainee Group: Graduate

Medical Students’ Global Health Pathway
Faculty/Role: Kirsten Beyer, Co-Director; Megan Schultz, Co-Director
Academic Home: Institute of Health and Equity; Pediatrics
Trainee Group: UME

Dr. Elaine Kohler Summer Academy Global Research
Faculty/Role: Stephen Hargarten, Director
Academic Home: Emergency Medicine
Trainee Group: UME

Pre-departure training for Short-term Global Health Efforts
Faculty/Role: Mac Longo, Co-Director; Steve Humphrey, Co-Director
Academic Home: Radiation Oncology; Dermatology
Trainee Groups: UME and GME

Pediatrics’ Global and Community Health Track
Faculty/Role: Caitlin Kaeppler, Director; Constance Gundacker, Associate Director
Academic Home: Pediatrics
Trainee Group: GME

Family Medicine’s Global Health Track
Faculty/Role: Bryan Johnston, Director
Academic Home: Family and Community Medicine
Trainee Group: GME

GME Scholars in Global Health
Faculty/Role: Steve Humphrey, Mac Longo, Ashley Pavlic
Academic Home: Clinical, Surgical
Trainee Group: GME

Global Health Administrative Faculty Leads

Lolia Abibo | Assistant Professor of Medicine
Role: Global Health Assistant Director
Academic Home: Medicine

Chris Dodgion | Associate Professor of Surgery
Role: Director of Global Surgery
Academic Home: Surgery, Trauma and Critical Care

Leonard Egede | Professor of Medicine, Chief, Center Director
Role: Global Health Unit Leader
Academic Home: Center for Advancing Population Science

Ashley Pavlic | Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Role: Co-Chief of the Division of Global and Population Health
Academic Home: Emergency Medicine

Taylor Sonnenberg | Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Role: Co-Chief of the Division of Global and Population Health
Academic Home: Emergency Medicine

Alexandria Phan | Professor of Medicine
Role: Global Health Director
Academic Home: Medicine

Libby Schroeder | Associate Professor of Surgery
Role: Associate Director of Global Surgery
Academic Home: Surgery, Trauma and Critical Care

Department Liaisons

Designated by their Department Chair, each department and select Centers have a faculty member who serves as a Global Health Liaison to act as the main contact person for communications between MCW Office of Global Health and their departmental faculty and staff. Each liaison holds the following roles and responsibilities:

  1. Act as main contact person for communications between MCW Office of Global Health and their departmental faculty and staff.

  2. Provide the MCW Office of Global Health with their departmental faculty’s current global health clinical care, education, research, or public health efforts.

  3. Refer any faculty interested in global health clinical care, education, research, or public health efforts to the MCW Office of Global Health.

Ehab Abourashed, PhD, MS, BPharm
Associate Professor
Pharmacy

Kirsten Beyer, PhD, MPH, MS
Professor
Global Health Pathway

Kristen Bunnell, PharmD
Assistant Professor
Pharmacy

Linda Caples, PhD
Director
Office of Continuing Professional Development

Laura Cassidy, PhD
Director, Professor
Graduate School

Jenifer Coburn, PhD
Professor
Medicine (Infectious Disease), Center for Infectious Disease Research

Aprill Dawson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Center for Advancing Population Science

Chris Dodgion, MD
Assistant Professor
Surgery

Leonard Egede, MD
Professor and Division Chief
Medicine

Juan Felix, MD
Vice Chair, Director, Professor
Pathology

Nathan Gundacker, MD
Assistant Professor
Medicine

Stephen Humphrey, MD
Associate Professor
Dermatology

Roger Johnson
Associate Professor
Cancer Center

Bryan Johnston, MD
Assistant Professor
Family and Community Medicine

Amit Joshi, PhD
Associate Professor
Biomedical Engineering

Caitlin Kaeppler
Assistant Professor
Pediatrics

Jeff Kelly, PhD
Center Director & Professor
Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, CAIR

Judith Kosasih, MD
Professor
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Peter Langenstroer, MD, MS
Professor
Urology

Qing-song Liu, PhD
Professor
Pharmacology and Toxicology

Christopher M. Long, MD
Professor
Otolaryngology

John “Mac” Longo, MD
Professor
Radiation Oncology

Luis Antonio Sosa Lozano, MD
Chief, Assistant Professor
Radiology

Jonathan S. Marchant, MA, PhD
Marcus Professor & Chair
Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy

Angela Mathison, MD
Assistant Professor, Surgery
Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine

Seema Menon, MD
Associate Professor
Obstetrics and Gynecology

Pablo Nakagawa, PhD
Assistant Professor
Physiology

Ahmed Obeidat, MD
Associate Professor
Neurology

Stephanie Olivier-Van Stichelen, PhD
Assistant Professor
Biochemistry

Ashley Pavlic, MD
Assistant Professor
Emergency Medicine

Aparna Ramasubramanian, MD
Associate Professor
Ophthalmology

Avani Richardson, MD
Assistant Professor
Anesthesiology (Adult)

Michelle Riehle, PhD
Assistant Professor
Microbiology & Immunology

Franklin Ruiz, MD
Associate Professor
Anesthesiology

Jim Sanger, MD
Professor
Plastic Surgery

Megan Schultz, MD, MA
Assistant Professor
Global Health Pathway

Taylor Sonnenberg, MD, MSGH
Assistant Professor
Emergency Medicine

Sergey Tarima, PhD
Associate Professor
Institute for Health & Equity

Bipin Thapa, MD
Assistant Dean, Professor
Medicine (General Internal Medicine)

Scott Van Valin, MD
Associate Professor
Orthopaedic Surgery

Aditya Vedantam, MD
Assistant Professor
Neurosurgery

Doriel Ward, PhD
Director, Assistant Professor
CTSI

Jacek Zielonka, PhD
Assistant Professor
Biophysics