School of Health Selects Two ‘Big Ideas’
(October 24, 2023) — In 2023, the School of Health launched the “Big Idea” initiative, a project inviting faculty to propose unconventional, interdisciplinary approaches to advance knowledge and/or test potential solutions to seemingly intractable problems.
School of Health Dean Christopher J. King, PhD, MHSc, FACHE, announced the two proposals selected: the “Global Mental Health & Well-being Initiative” and the “Initiative on Health Economics, Financing and Outcome.” These two initiatives, comprising faculty from across Georgetown, are noteworthy for their the potential to influence the formation of the School of Health and make a distinct contribution to the university, and will be partially supported by the new school’s start-up funding.
Global Mental Health & Well-being Initiative
This interdisciplinary Global Mental Health & Well-being Initiative will pilot research, pedagogy, and informed activism and advocacy on psychiatric, mental health and psychosocial issues at home and abroad. The initiative will mobilize a coalition of faculty, staff and students into a collective to work on mental health and well-being in local and global mental health research and practice. The 24-month campaign aims to build community awareness, support, public engagement opportunities, and cross-cutting research collaborations across U.S. and international mental health specializations in the Georgetown community with a long-term aim of establishing a Center for Global Mental Health and Well-being in 2024-2025. The project will be led by a steering committee composed of faculty at the Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, the School of Foreign Service, the Racial Justice Institute, the School of Health and the Center for Global Health Science and Security.
Shabab Wahid, Assistant Professor, School of Health, Department of Global Health
Derek M. Griffith, Professor, School of Health, Department of Health Management and Policy; Co-Director, Racial Justice Institute
Steve Epstein, Professor, Psychiatry
Jennifer Woolard, Professor, Department of Psychology
Emily Mendenhall, Professor, School of Foreign Service
Sharon Abramowitz, Associate Professor, GUMC & Center for Global Health Science and Security
Initiative on Health Economics, Financing and Outcome
The Initiative on Health Economics, Financing and Outcome will aim to build a research platform for faculty and students through two main pillars: Health Economics and Outcome Research (HEOR) and Health System Strengthening (HSS). HEOR will focus on cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), costing and efficacy analysis, while HSS will focus on health financing, health information and technologies, and medical products (e.g., vaccines and pharmaceuticals). One goal is to make this initiative the key institution within Georgetown University to provide HEOR and HSS services in both domestic and international settings to support decision-making processes for main health sector stakeholders (e.g., governments and international agencies). Learn more here or reach out to hefo@georgetown.edu.
Wu Zeng, Associate Professor, School of Health, Department of Global Health
Vincent Turbat, Associate Professor, School of Health, Department of Global Health
Sean Huang, Associate Professor, School of Health, Department of Health Management & Policy
Eva Jarawan, Associate Professor, School of Health, Department of Global Health
Gultekin Gollu, Assistant Professor, School of Health, Graduate Director, Department of Health Management & Policy
So-Yeon Kang, Assistant Professor, School of Health, Health Management and Policy