About the Department
We are currently living in an era of polycrisis, where multiple challenges are affecting the world simultaneously – pandemics, conflicts, worsening climate crisis, anti-science sentiment, disinformation, authoritarianism, worsening economic inequities, and a collapse of multilateralism. The ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ Department of Global and Public Health (DGPH) aspires to rise to the biggest challenges of our day, to address polycrisis and health inequities, in solidarity with the most impacted communities, locally, nationally and globally.
Mission:
As one of three departments in the School of Population and Global Health, the Department of Global and Public Health aims to address health inequities and advance public health—locally, nationally, and globally—through action-oriented research, interdisciplinary training, allyship, and equitable partnerships.
Core programs:
DGPH hosts six diverse programs, including the Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab (PERL), the Bachelor of Arts in Population and Global Health, Global Health Programs, the Nkabom Collaborative, the Public Health and Preventive Medicine residency program, and the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ Summer Institutes in Global Health.
Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab (PERL):
The Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab is an interdisciplinary, practice-driven platform that unites science, leadership, and convening power to redesign how communities, governments and organizations prepare for and respond to health emergencies — shifting preparedness from reactive response to durable capability.
Bachelor of Arts in Population and Global Health:
This interdisciplinary faculty program will welcome its inaugural cohort in Fall 2026. It prepares students to build a healthier and more equitable world, both locally and globally, through training that integrates social sciences, population health, and global health. With strong emphasis on ethics, equity, and community-engaged learning, the program develops future leaders equipped to address complex health challenges through research, policy, and practice.
Global Health Programs (GHP):
Serving as ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ’s hub for cross-university, inter-faculty global health activities, GHP advances efforts to address health inequities through education, research, and partnerships, and serves as the engine for student training and experiential learning across the university. GHP provides training, tools, resources, and support to help students and faculty succeed in local and international global health initiatives, while also supporting innovative research and forging collaborations with key partners in Canada and worldwide.
The Nkabom Collaborative at SPGH:
The Nkabom (Unity) Nutrition and Sustainable Agri-Food Collaborative aims to bridge education and workforce gaps by preparing youth for dignified employment and entrepreneurship in the nutrition and agri-food sectors. Through partnerships with six Ghanaian universities, the Association of Ghana Industries, and ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, Nkabom promotes experiential learning, inclusive access for marginalized groups, and youth-led business innovation. Aligned with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works Strategy, Nkabom seeks to contribute to the transformation of Africa’s agri-food systems while empowering the next generation of leaders. SPGH will receive Ghanaian postdoc fellows, and also train Ghanaian students via Summer Institutes, and the graduate certificate in data sciences.
Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM) residency program:
The PHPM residency program is working to train public health and preventive medicine specialists who will go out into the world as ambassadors of a public health that is grounded in service, committed to eliminating injustice, amplifying diversity and inclusivity, transforming their own lives, those of their colleagues and partners, and the populations that they serve. The program prepares physicians for a variety of leadership roles through diverse learning trajectories combining patient care, academic training in epidemiology and biostatistics, and public health practice. The residency program works closely with Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal and other public health agencies.
¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ Summer Institutes in Global Health:
In its 11th year, the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ Summer Institutes delivers short courses aimed at executive education and reaches thousands of participants around the world each year united by a shared commitment to advancing Global Health and Equity. The unique format of short, non-credit, professional development courses attracts a diverse group of participants, from industry leaders to NGO’s, academics and researchers, and advocacy group members.
The ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ Summer Institutes in Global Health remain firmly committed to creating inclusive and accessible learning spaces. The year 2025 marked an important milestone for the program: we celebrated 10 years of global connection, with 70% of participants coming from a wide diversity of professional and geographic contexts outside North America and Europe.