Advocacy and Communications

CUGH promotes the role of universities in global health through clear advocacy, policy recommendations, and effective communications.

In order to promote the role of universities in global health, CUGH understands that it requires a clear voice capable of articulating issues, solutions, and suggesting policies to address global challenges. See below for materials that CUGH has released on a number of issues.

 

Thank you to the Advocacy and Communications Committee for their support in identifying advocacy priorities and strategies. The Advocacy, Policy & Communications Committee identifies advocacy issues and ways in which CUGH can disseminate information, mobilize, and foster collaboration amongst its members and the larger global health community, to improve the health of people and the planet.

Recent Releases

Press Release: Stop the Bombing of Iran, Lebanon and Palestine

March 20, 2026

The America First Global Health Strategy: Leaving America Behind in Global Health Governance

March 18, 2026

Press Release: The Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) Calls for Evidence-Based Leadership at Health and Human Services.

October 6, 2025

Communications Projects

Elections 2024

At CUGH, we firmly believe that every voice matters, and every vote counts. As we approach the pivotal year of 2024, we are launching our #GetOutTheVote campaign to underscore the significant role that elections play in shaping global health policies and outcomes. Learn why our members are voting in their country’s elections.

 

The Power of Your Vote

 

Your vote is not just a tick on a ballot; it’s an expression of your voice and a reflection of your values. It’s a powerful tool that can help bring about change, impact policies, and shape the future of global health. This is why we urge you to exercise your right to vote.

 

Why We Vote: Insights from Our Members

 

As part of our campaign, we are sharing insights from our members about why they choose to participate in their country’s elections. Their thoughts highlight the importance of civic engagement in promoting global health.

Bismark Baafi, Ghana, is #voting because: “It is my right to vote and select leaders that make sustainable policies that will impact global health issues.”

Xinshu She, USA, is #voting as a citizen, a doctor, and a mother.

Dr. Keith Martin is #voting because democracy is fragile and needs to be protected. 

Harsha Desai, South Africa, is #voting to hold leaders accountable for the fair distribution of resources like healthcare. 

 

Let’s Make a Difference Together

Remember, your vote can make a significant difference. It’s a powerful way to support the causes you care about and contribute to the global health discourse. So, let’s stand together and make our voices heard. Let’s get out the vote!

NAA & STAT

Made possible by the Gates Foundation Initiative, CUGH formed a Network of Academic Advisors (NAA) as well as the State Technical Advisory Team (STAT). The NAA serves to inform federal legislators on a variety of global health topics, while the STAT focuses on doing this at the state level. If an elected official is interested in crafting legislation on a certain topic then the NAA and STAT would be a valuable local resource to assist them on this effort.

Gun Control Tracker

In a democracy, the power of the citizen is asserted through their vote. To address the global health challenges before us it is vital that all American citizens exercise this right and encourage others to do so too. CUGH is committed to protecting voters’ rights and increasing voter turnout. To do this we are releasing our new campaign: Global Health Votes.

Throughout the upcoming months, CUGH will be sharing information on voters’ rights and awareness. We encourage you to share this information with your network.

Every year more than 100,000 Americans are shot. Of these, 30,000 people die. This is a preventable, public health disaster and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) is addressing it with a simple, non-partisan call for action.

Please look at the Tracker to see your congressperson’s position on gun safety, which we hope will inform your decision in future elections.

Access the Senate tracker.

Access the House tracker.

Network of Academic Advisors (NAA)

In the Fall of 2019, CUGH launched the Network of Academic Advisors (NAA). This platform is a mechanism to connect members of the local academic community with their Congresspersons. By facilitating these connections, we are empowering faculty to engage their Congresspersons to provide evidence-based solutions that can inform and strengthen public policy development. It is also a platform their Congresspersons can use to engage with members of their local academic community and utilize them as a source of expert advice. CUGH hopes this effort will bridge the gap between academia and policymakers and increase the use of evidence-based solutions in creating public policies.

Listserves

Our listservs are open access and provide an opportunity for our network to post messages directly without routing them first to the CUGH secretariat. Listserv members are asked to be judicious in listserv use to ensure that the listserv retains its value. If you wish to respond to an individual(s) cited in a listserv message, please contact them directly, if possible, and don’t reply to the entire listserv.

CUGH Global Health Education

This listserv is for faculty, student, and all those involved in global health education. To subscribe, send an email to: MSTR-GH-EDUC+subscribe@CUGH.groups.io

Global Health Operations

This listserv is developed as part of what we hope will be a number of tools to engage members of the academic global health community whose work and expertise involve the administrative and operational aspects of running global health programs.

The listserv serves as a forum for knowledge seeking and sharing, and for networking as well with colleagues across university campuses. We aim to fill its membership with faculty and administrative personnel alike in order to facilitate discourse between the two groups. To subscribe, send an email to: GHoperations+subscribe@CUGH.groups.io

CUGH Global Health Educators Community (GHECo)

The CUGH Global Health Educators Community (GHECo = “gecko”) provides professional development and networking opportunities for professors who teach global health courses, design curricula and experiential learning activities for nonclinical undergraduate and graduate programs, and oversee baccalaureate majors and minors, academic master’s degrees, and research-based doctoral degrees. gheco+subscribe@CUGH.groups.io

Young Professionals Network

This listserv is for the purpose of facilitating communications and connections between young-professionals in global health and related fields.  A member of this group must be under age 40 as of Dec. 31st.  It is free and open to all.  Please use this to share your professional needs, and any professional opportunities that you are aware of that may be of interest to anyone in the global health field. mailto: young-professionals-network+subscribe@CUGH.groups.io

Research Committee

The Research Committee’s listervs goal is to catalyze avenues for expanding collaborative, cross-cutting global health research and research training in priority areas, facilitate development of these collaborations among CUGH members, and facilitate dissemination of research for implementation. RESEARCH+subscribe@CUGH.groups.io

Explore the Resource Page

Find a variety of webinar, document, and online training modules (free of cost) that center on practices for effective communications.