Our Mission

The NGDI-UBC will develop interventions for neglected global diseases
and ensure their delivery to those in need.

Objectives

To support a nucleus of researchers working on neglected diseases.
To support and broaden the coalition of researchers that will be able to engage in larger funding initiatives.
To provide a visible entity for recruiting multidisciplinary membership.
To promote and support course development on neglected diseases throughout faculties.
To support the hiring of new faculties hires with expertise in neglected diseases.

Strategic Plan

The University of British Columbia’s Strategic Plan: Place and Promise makes commitments in nine areas and the NGDI speaks well to six of those areas: student learning, research excellence, community engagement, alumni engagement, intercultural understanding and international engagement.

Please view our plans below.

The NGDI will enhance the quality and impact of teaching for students by responding to a call from students to support the development of a multidisciplinary curriculum in neglected global diseases at the undergraduate level that will provide students with a foundation on the relevant global health issues.

The NGDI will continue to provide undergraduate students with enriched educational experiences by developing an research internship program and continuing to utilize the Work and Learn program, the Arts Internship program and the School of Library and Information Systems practicum program.

We will continue to support student-led initiatives that create a culture of involvement by supporting events for student-led groups such as the UBC Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, the Student Biotechnology Network, and the Accessible Science Initiative. We will continue to have leading student representatives on the NGDI Advisory Board.

We will support student initiated projects like a new NGDI Student Global Health Journal. The NGDI has a coordinated strategy for communication with students in the communication plan.

The NGDI will increase the quality and impact of UBC’s research and scholarship by supporting and facilitating the development of trans-disciplinary research for neglected global diseases. We will act as a clearing house for information for neglected global diseases.

The NGDI fosters areas of UBC’s research excellence by emphasizing the combination of scientific and technological excellence with research on public health and impactful policy issues.

The NGDI will support and enhance UBC researchers’ grant funding competitiveness and success through its ability to broker a trans-disciplinary perspective for UBC research. NGDI will work to partner with larger entities across Canada and internationally in order to increase the competitiveness of our grant applications. Our partnership with the Centre for Drug Research and Development ensures that our interventions can bridge the commercialization gap between early-stage academic research and industry.

The NDGI is leading a Canadian-wide effort to create the Canadian Global Health Research Training Program that will expand recruitment and retention of top ranked graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to UBC.

The NGDI is strategically placed to increase the impact of UBC research through the effective use of knowledge mobilization tools. Seven of the nine projects highlighted on the University-Industry Liaison Office website for utilizing Global Access Principals are projects from NGDI members—which mean that these interventions will be developed with pricing to benefit the developing world. NGDI will also facilitate and encourage our members to utilize UBC”s membership in the World Intellectual Policy Organization’s WIPO Re:Search Consortium—this will provide access to an expanding IP database and the development of important global research partnerships.

The NGDI will foster public understand of societal issues regarding the complex issues surrounding poverty, neglected global diseases, research & development, and delivery of essential medicines.

We will continue our Distinguished Lectureship Seminar Series which expands opportunity for interdisciplinary dialogue across campus. The NGDI will hold a biannual neglected disease conference.

The global context of the NGDI’s work calls for the us to facilitate engagement of faculty and students in public policy development and to act as an advocate for more research and development as well as funding for neglected global diseases.

The NGDI has developed an effective approach to communications, utilizing digital signage, press releases, website, youtube, twitter and newsletter options for its membership and the greater community.

NGDI will enrich the lives of graduates through a deeper connection to UBC by encouraging students, especially international students to stay involved with the issues surrounding neglected global diseases in their country of origin. We will use effective communications to continue our interaction with alumni and produce inspiring events that will be made available electronically.

NGDI increases the awareness of intercultural understanding by its very subject matter. Our work in policy research and public health expand the dialogue and debate over inequity in health coverage and disease elimination of the world’s poorest peoples.

The NGDI’s will facilitate the increased capacity of UBC students, faculty, and alumni to engage internationally through research projects and knowledge about opportunities for learning and service abroad—a dedicated “connector” webpage will be populated for this purpose.

The ability to foster student participation in learning and serving abroad is inherent in some of the research of our membership, however, the NGDI also will continue to encourage students to participate in internships in organizations such as the World Health Organization and Grand Challenges Canada.

The NGDI will continue to provide and will improve the level of information available to students, faculty and staff on UBC’s international connections within global health for neglected diseases via our website and communications.

The NGDI’s membership will strengthened UBC’s role in international development through an increase in the number of successful global disease research grants: it is now internationally recognized that poverty and neglected global diseases are intrinsically related.