Mission & OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Center for Immigrant, Refugee, and Global Health (CIRGH) is two-fold:
1) To act as a catalyst and collaborative hub for research and projects on a range of global health issues.
2) To advance scholarship, practice, and understanding of the health and related challenges migrants face at local, national, and global levels.
Objective 1
To build skills and credibility as a convenor of stakeholders in the areas in which it works, for example, of migrant-serving organizations (MSOs) in NYS, of researchers working on migrant health in big cities, and of groups collaborating on ending violence against women, and children.
Objective 2
To create an enabling environment for research on migrant and global health issues within CUNY SPH and among CUNY and other partners.
Objective 3
To train and educate the next generation of public health leaders through teaching, fellowships, mentoring, and field placements.
Approach
Our approach is to conduct community-level research and facilitate dialogue across diverse stakeholders (e.g. government, non-profit, academic institutions, service providers) regarding health-related policies and programs relevant to migrant communities, both locally and globally.
We
Advance
strategies for addressing health equity in service access and outcomes
Foster
study specializations in immigrant, refugee and global health
Secure & Execute
sponsored research
Support
an implementation science-based practice group
Engage
an active policy dialogue with like-minded stakeholders on migration and health
Context
Globalization, international migration and urbanization impact global and local health in significant ways. International migrants (including immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless people) play a critical role in New York State’s systems and economy.
New York City (NYC) is home to 3 million immigrants, making up 36% of the population. Immigrants have also settled throughout upstate New York, comprising 14.6% of the population in Poughkeepsie, 8.3% in Albany, and in Buffalo, Syracuse, and Rochester, the figure is nearly 20%.
Many of New York’s migrant residents live at the margins of health and social systems. They are often the subject of negative political rhetoric and the targets of laws and administrative practices that limit their rights and access to health and social services. While this is problematic during the best of times, it becomes particularly visible during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Inherent challenges, such as lack of US citizenship, limited English skills, and different cultural norms, become more pronounced. Integrating migrants into the State’s health system, labor force, schools, and communities presents both a challenge and opportunity. As such, effective health systems need to build on past experiences and take into account the changing context of globalization, health care needs, markets and capacities.
Host a Team of CUNY SPH Interns
Fieldwork experiences allow MPH students at CUNY SPH to develop, manage, evaluate, or lead evidence-based public health projects. Each experience will vary according to the needs of the fieldwork site and the student’s interests and professional development goals.
Please note that an internship placement is not guaranteed, as there are sometimes more host site applications than students. After applying, a representative from CUNY SPH will contact you to discuss your project idea and determine if it is a suitable fieldwork project.
Questions?
Email Hannah Lathan, Director of the CUNY SPH Office of Experiential Learning and Career Services, at hannah.lathan@sph.cuny.edu
