The Yale Institute for Global Health (YIGH) is pleased to announce the selection of Aline Herlopian, MD; Michelle Telfer, DNP, MPH; and Alla Vash-Margita, MD as the inaugural recipients of the Global Health Education Innovation Award. The Global Health Education Innovation Award supports innovative solutions to pressing challenges in global health education, both in the U.S. and abroad. The inaugural awards were coordinated by YIGH and funded through a partnership with the Office of Global Health Education at the Yale School of Medicine and the Office of Planetary Health and Global Engagemen at the Yale School of Nursing.
In Depth
Inaugural Global Health Education Innovation Award Recipients Announced
Yale’s health professions students and our faculty remain passionate about global health. As other funding sources diminish, these seed grants provide vital support for the next generation of faculty working with colleagues in global settings to innovate in health professions education, improve patient outcomes, and mentor our students.
Robert Rohrbaugh, Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Dean for Global Health Education, Yale School of Medicine
From Stigma to Support: A Nation-wide Initiative to Redefine Pediatric Epilepsy Education in Armenia
Aline Herlopian, MD – Associate Professor Term, Yale School of Medicine
This one-year initiative will conduct Armenia’s first nationwide survey on pediatric epilepsy, evaluating gaps in healthcare, stigma, and school accessibility. Findings will inform a policy report with actionable recommendations—such as seizure response training for educators, individualized care plans, and anti-discrimination laws—to improve safety and inclusion. By collaborating with Armenia’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, the project seeks to establish long-term reforms that enhance medical adherence, public awareness, and quality of life for young patients with epilepsy.
This project is a critical step toward dismantling the stigma around epilepsy in Armenia—ensuring every child has access to safe, inclusive education and compassionate care. With Yale GHEI’s support, we’re not just studying the problem but driving tangible policy changes that will transform lives.
Aline Herlopian
Interdisciplinary Collaborative Community Health Course for Women’s Health Care Providers in Uganda: Expanding the Makerere University/Yale University (MUYU) Collaboration
Michelle Telfer, DNP, MPH – Associate Professor of Nursing and Interim Nurse-Midwifery Specialty Co-Director, Yale School of Nursing
This co-created curriculum will be designed by and for midwifery and OB/GYN faculty and learners, in partnership with a community in Uganda. Building on existing collaborations, the program fosters interprofessional teamwork, cross-cultural learning, and opportunities for delivering quality care in both high and low-resource settings. The hybrid online format brings together faculty and learners from both universities to collaboratively enhance community healthcare goals respectfully. The program includes in-person clinical rotations to train clinicians in implementing this model in addition to the online course, ultimately optimizing maternal and newborn outcomes in any community.
This is an exciting opportunity to create an interprofessional, collaborative, community-based learning program that will not only improve maternal and newborn care and outcomes wherever these clinicians practice but will also foster interdisciplinary collaboration that will have ripple effects across professional careers.
Michelle Telfer
Enhancing Medical Education Curricula in Ukraine (EMEC-U)
Alla Vash-Margita, MD – Associate Professor Term, Yale School of Medicine
Enhancing Medical Education Curricula in Ukraine (EMEC-U) is a collaboration between the Yale School of Medicine, Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv, and Danylo Halytsky National Medical University in Lviv that aims to develop interactive case-based learning workshops for creating a sustainable system to improve the teaching of clinical medicine. Medical Education in Ukraine is limited by a lack of early clinical exposure due to the ongoing war and shortage of teaching hospitals. Enhancing Medical Education Curricula in Ukraine (EMEC-U) will enlist faculty from the Yale School of Medicine to lead workshops on designing and facilitating clinical case-based learning curricula for medical students in Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv and Danylo Halytsky National Medical University in Lviv. Workshops will span a variety of specialties and will be tailored to reflect the specific needs of the local patient populations.
This collaboration will lay the groundwork for a sustainable and reciprocal partnership for the exchange of both knowledge and culture, to produce well-rounded physicians and global citizens.
Alla Vash-Margita
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