Dr. Neil Arya named Director, Office of Global Health

In April 2008, the Global Health Task Force submitted a report (http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/Affiliates/GlobalHealth/) , recommending the establishment of an Office of Global Health which would bring together the many existing and emerging activities in Global Health already underway within Schulich and Western, and advance us as a global leader in international health, education and policy.

It is with great pleasure that we announce that Dr. Neil Arya has accepted a contract as the Founding Director of the Office of Global Health in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, effective April 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010. The Office will be located in the Health Sciences Addition along side the offices of the Department of History of Medicine and of Health Ethics & Humanities.

Over the term of the contract, it is anticipated that Dr, Arya will be on campus Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday mornings, with virtual office hours for another half-day weekly. While the limited time available for the Director position is a reflection of the current budgetary reality we face in the University, Dr. Arya will do his utmost to get the Office of Global Health up and running with core functions in place.

Dr. Arya, a family physician and community-based clinical teacher in Waterloo, holds an adjunct professorship in Western's Department of Family Medicine. He is a recognized leader in Global Health with many published articles and a recent co-authored book on Peace Through Health. He has taught graduate level courses in Global and Environmental Health at the University of Waterloo and McMaster as well as providing medical students with Global Health opportunities.

In addition to his Western faculty position, he holds appointments at both McMaster and the University of Waterloo. He has been involved in international projects in El Salvador, Guatemala, Israel/Palestine, and India and was a founding member of the Psychiatric Clinic in Kitchener, Ontario which deals with the needs of marginalized peoples within the Refugee Health Care Clinic.

Dr. Arya is passionate about Global Health and about providing core training and support for health professional students. We are delighted that he is joining us Founding Director of the Office of Global Health.