A unique collaboration between New York University's Global Institute of Public Health (NYU GIPH) and the global health and human rights organization HealthRight International, Inc. was announced today by Robert Berne, New York University executive vice president for health, Dr. Cheryl Healton, dean of Global Public Health and director of NYU GIPH, and Dr. Peter Navario, HealthRight executive director. Together, NYU GIPH and HealthRight will collaborate on global health programming, research, curricula, work-study placements, and internships.
"Students at all levels of their education – undergraduate, master's and doctorial – will benefit from our new relationship with HealthRight," said Berne. "Our shared mission to address the world's most pressing health problems and promote health equity makes this a natural fit."
The affiliation bridges the traditional divide between rigorous public health research and complex program implementation at ground level. It will enhance opportunities for each institution to build lasting access to wellness and health services for excluded communities. In the near term, GIPH and HealthRight International will focus jointly on several projects. Currently, key projects for HealthRight include reducing high rates of maternal deaths in Nepal, examining the impact of maternal waiting homes for expectant mothers in Kenya, and reaching HIV/AIDS-vulnerable youth and families in Ukraine.
Through the partnership, students at NYU GIPH will carry out field work activities and conduct research on areas that are priorities for both organizations. The settings for students and faculty will be high-needs communities in the United States and abroad. In addition, HealthRight International program staff will teach NYU GIPH courses, while students will have expanded opportunities for academic credit, work/study employment, and summer internships.
Dr. Navario will serve as associate research professor and director of global health strategy at NYU GIPH.
"The affiliation with NYU GIPH offers incredible opportunities for collaboration that will ultimately lead to better health outcomes and more inclusive health systems globally. It will enhance HealthRight's ability to effect meaningful and enduring change in the communities we serve, and ultimately ensure that universal health access and coverage is truly universal," said Dr. Navario. HealthRight will retain its own independent board of directors and its 501(c)(3) status as an New York-registered, not-for-profit organization.
Prior to becoming the founding director of NYU GIPH, Dr. Healton served as the first President and CEO of Legacy, the foundation created by the Master Settlement Agreement between the States' Attorneys General and the tobacco industry to foster a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. In that role, she guided the highly acclaimed national youth tobacco prevention counter-marketing campaign, truth®. She holds a DrPH from Columbia University's School of Public Health (with distinction), and a master's degree in Public Administration from NYU Wagner in Health Policy and Planning.
Dr. Peter Navario was previously technical advisor at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and a Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Navario has extensive field experience, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where he has worked on health system capacity building initiatives in more than 15 countries. He holds a PhD in Health Economics from the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town, and a master's degree in Public Health from the School of Public Health at Yale University.
About NYU Global Institute of Public Health:
Launched in 2012 the NYU GIPH works across disciplinary boundaries to address the world's most pressing health problems. Drawing from resources at 11 schools across the University, the NYU GIPH delivers truly interdisciplinary public health education at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels, building on NYU's unique global reach and many talented faculty and students to advance and promote equitable health for all.
About HealthRight International:
HealthRight International is a global health and human rights organization that connects marginalized and excluded communities to health services, and builds inclusive health systems around the world. The organization was established in 1990 by the late Dr. Jonathan Mann and has since worked in more than 30 countries. Current projects in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the United States link torture survivors, people living with HIV, victims of violence, orphans, and others with essential health services. HealthRight will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2015.