Bruce Link, Melissa Smith and Matt Sparke took their seats for the first time as UCGHI board members at the April board meeting.  

“Representation from all of the UC campuses is very important because we want to ensure all campuses have a voice. That is why we are thrilled to welcome these new board members from UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz,” said Anil Deolalikar, chair of the board.

Now for introductions.

Bruce Link, PhD, is a distinguished professor of public policy and sociology at UC Riverside. He is currently conducting research on the life course origins of health inequalities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, the consequences of social stigma for the life chances of people who are subject to stigma and on evaluating intervention efforts aimed at reducing mental illness stigma in children attending middle school. Link also served as co-director of the UCGHI One Health Center of Expertise from 2016-2017.

Melissa Smith, MD, is a family medicine physician who has worked in primary care clinics in poor communities in the US and Central America for three decades. Smith joined UC Santa Barbara in January 2018 as director of Health Equity Initiatives. She will lead the Global Health in Oaxaca UC Education Abroad Program and teach a graduate seminar on community-based participatory research on health disparities. Smith also serves as a deputy director for the UCGHI Women’s Health, Gender and Empowerment Center of Expertise (WHGE COE).

Matt Sparke, PhD, is a professor of politics at UC Santa Cruz. Previously he worked with colleagues at the University of Washington to create and direct the Department of Global Health’s undergraduate program. Today his own work focuses on the changing meaning of global health citizenship – including biological citizenship and health rights – in the context of globalization. He is especially interested in how market logics associated with globalization have not only created health vulnerabilities but have also influenced global health policy responses.

Sparke and Smith, who represent UC campuses without formal global health academic programs, are eager to bring UCGHI’s resources and programs to their students and fellow faculty.

“There is so much interest in global health at UC Santa Cruz but not much yet in the way of programs. As a UCGHI board member, I am looking forward to advocating for our students’ interests and fostering new global health opportunities on campus,” said Sparke.

Likewise, Smith’s multifaceted involvement with the WHGE COE and as a board member opens up many opportunities for UC Santa Barbara students and faculty looking to get involved. “I’ve already started bringing students and colleagues into the UCGHI community and look forward to contributing to the future of programs at UC Santa Barbara and UCGHI as a whole,” she said.

“These additions to UCGHI leadership bring dynamic expertise to the overseeing body of UCGHI programs and activities. Their perspectives and leadership will be valuable to the Board as it continues to steer and develop global health programs across UC,” said Deolalikar.