Ohio University Global Health Initiative

04/01/2026

Kick off Public Health Week with an inspiring conversation on the power of science and history!

Join us for “A Brief History of Public Health: The Antidote for Anti-Science” with Jacqueline H. Wolf, Professor Emeritus of Social Medicine at Ohio University.

🗓 April 6, 2026
⏰ 5:00 – 7:00 PM
📍 Walter Hall Room 135

Scan the QR code to register!

03/25/2026

The future of global environmental cooperation is shifting... are you part of the conversation?

Join us for the CIS Thursday Forum Roundtable: Navigating a New Era in International Environmental Diplomacy at Ohio University. Hear from leading scholars as they unpack major policy changes, climate negotiations, water conflicts, and the evolving landscape of international environmental peacebuilding.

📅 Thursday, March 26, 2026
⏰ 3:30–5:00 PM
📍 Schoonover Center 145

Don’t miss this timely discussion on the global forces shaping our environmental future. Plus attendees have a chance to win free books!

03/24/2026

🚨 2 Weeks Until No Sleep Til Kyiv 🚨

On April 7 at 7:00 PM, experience this powerful documentary about everyday citizens mobilizing humanitarian aid to Ukraine then stay for a panel on how our Ohio community is taking action.

🎟 Tickets: https://athenacinema.com/nosleeptilkyiv/

Proceeds support Cars for Ukraine & the Ohio University Health Delegation to Ukraine.

03/23/2026

This Thursday, join the World Health Organization for an important global conversation on health and migration.

Over 1 billion people are on the move worldwide—making it more critical than ever to turn commitments into real action for the health of refugees and migrants.

Be part of the Technical Launch Webinar of the World report on promoting the health of refugees and migrants, where experts will:
✔ Share key findings from the 2025 Global Survey
✔ Highlight progress and ongoing challenges
✔ Explore solutions for policy, programs, and collaboration

🗓 26 March 2026
⏰ 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM (EDT)
📍 Live-streamed globally from WHO Headquarters

Scan the QR code to register now!

03/12/2026

Announcement: Climate and Health Community of Practice Film Viewing
The Climate and Health Community of Practice invites faculty, staff, and students to join us for a special screening of the documentary Cooked: Survival by Zip Code.
This powerful film examines the intersection of climate crises, public health, and social inequity, highlighting how extreme heat events disproportionately affect vulnerable communities and what this means for health systems and community resilience.
Event Details
📅 Date: Monday, March 16
📍 Location: Walter Hall, Room 235
🕒 Popcorn & Drinks: 2:30 PM
🎬 Film Screening: 3:00 – 5:00 PM (EST)
This viewing provides an opportunity to reflect on the health impacts of climate-related events and to engage with colleagues interested in climate, health, and community resilience.
Attendance at this event is voluntary. The documentary explores topics that include systemic racism, social determinants of health, and climate-related disparities. These issues can involve complex perspectives and lived experiences. We ask that all participants engage in the discussion respectfully and thoughtfully, recognizing and valuing a diversity of opinions and viewpoints.
All faculty, staff, and students are welcome. We hope you will join us for this important conversation.

Ohio University HCOM Social Medicine Ohio University College of Health Sciences and Professions Ohio University Department of Social and Public HealthOhio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

In the summer of 1995, Chicago experienced an unthinkable disaster, when extremely high humidity and a layer of heat-retaining pollution drove the heat index up to more than 126 degrees. Cooked: Survival by Zip Code tells the story of this tragic heatwave, the most traumatic in U.S. history, in whic...

03/10/2026

🎬 Join us Tuesday, April 7 at 7:00 PM for a special screening of No Sleep Til Kyiv, an award-winning documentary about ordinary people who leave their pre-war lives to build a grassroots pipeline of critically needed humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

After the film, stay for a panel discussion highlighting how Ohioans including Ohio University faculty and students are working on projects that provide life-saving education and supplies.

💙 All proceeds benefit Cars for Ukraine and the Ohio University Health Delegation to Ukraine.

🎟 Get tickets here:
https://athenacinema.com/nosleeptilkyiv

03/04/2026

Join us tomorrow,
The Climate & Health Community of Practice is hosting Dr. Angela Hillman for a presentation on “Heat and Human Health.” As temperatures continue to rise, understanding the health impacts of extreme heat has never been more important.
🎟 Free & open to all students, faculty, and staff
We hope to see you there!

02/06/2026

The loss of this free data repository will make it difficult to track health metrics globally impacting access to information on low income countries, tracking of infectious diseases and add new challenges in assessing travel and health risks. Ohio University College of Health Sciences and ProfessionsOhio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Ohio University Department of Social and Public Health

The Factbook, a version of which dates to 1962, provided facts, figures, maps and more to generations of economists, professors, journalists and others.

01/30/2026

In 3 days, we recognize World Cancer Day with the theme United by Unique: placing people at the center of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation.

Join us for a powerful panel conversation centered on people, stories, and lived experiences. Hear from cancer survivors and a medical expert, moderated by Joy Talemwa, DTM.

🗓️ Mon, February 2nd, 2026
🕢 7:30 – 8:30 PM (EAT)
📍 Live on Zoom
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/5bzzscfr

01/28/2026

Period Equity Is a Human Right!
Women and girls in Pakistan are fighting to reclassify menstrual pads as essential goods instead of luxury items because a “luxury tax” on period products deepen period poverty and stigma, forcing many to miss school or ration supplies.
Mahwari Justice is a student‑led movement distributing menstrual products, education, and advocacy including a petition to remove the luxury tax on pads and challenge stigma nationwide.

Want to learn more?
Watch this TED Talk: “A taboo‑free way to talk about periods” at https://youtu.be/qm0isl11BfY?si=KHEOCmr_g8pg4VO7
Read “Gender equity and menstrual justice: a psychosocial review on stigma and discrimination in access to reproductive health” to explore how stigma and policy gaps affect menstrual equity globally. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12978-025-02255-z

Sources:
1. NPR article on period tax in Pakistan (mirror): https://www.kpbs.org/news/health/2026/01/15/this-country-taxes-menstrual-pads-as-luxury-goods-shes-suing-to-end-the-tax
2. Mahwari Justice — impact & petition: https://mahwarijustice.org/

01/26/2026

A 2025 study published in BMJ Mental Health, based on a midlife cohort in the United Kingdom and Ireland, found that individuals with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV)—especially physical abuse involving head injury—are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, and sleep disorders, even many years after the abuse occurred. The findings highlight the long-term mental health impacts of IPV and traumatic brain injury (TBI) across the life course.

An Ohio University faculty member, Dr. Graciela Muniz-Terrera, contributed to this research as part of the PREVENT Dementia Investigators.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual or intimate partner violence, confidential support is available through the Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program (SAOP) of Southeast Ohio.
Visit: https://saopseoh.org/
24-hour helpline: 740-591-4266

Sources:
Jenkins, N. D., et al. (2025). Intimate partner violence, traumatic brain injury and long-term mental health outcomes in midlife: the Drake IPV study. BMJ Mental Health, 28(1), e301439. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjment-2024-301439
Osteopathic Heritage Foundation. Research Impact Story: Dr. Graciela Muniz-Terrera. https://osteopathicheritage.org/research-impact-story-dr-muniz-terrera/

01/23/2026

Trachoma is a neglected tropic disease (NTD) and the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. It can be prevented or eliminated for less than $0.50 per person. From 2006–2024, USAID’s NTD program helped treat 1.7 billion people and supported elimination efforts in 14 countries. Recent funding cuts now put these public health gains at risk.
🩺 How trachoma is controlled: The WHO-endorsed SAFE strategy combines Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement to prevent blindness and stop transmission.
🎥 Learn more about trachoma: In a TED Talk, Dr. Danny Haddad Harper highlights how trachoma devastates vulnerable communities and how global collaboration, community volunteers, and simple tools can end the disease.
https://youtu.be/QAAxKRFP2Mw

Sources:
NPR – Goats and Soda: https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/12/10/g-s1-101411/neglected-tropical-diseases-usaid-cuts
Tian & Wang (2018). Trachoma control: the SAFE strategy. International Journal of Ophthalmology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6288535/