Bring together expertise from across scientific disciplines to address emerging health threats and advance new areas of research.
The Center builds on strengths in epidemiology and biomedical research while fostering collaborations in ecology, environmental health, data science, and other fields. These collaborations create opportunities to investigate important scientific questions, develop new research capabilities, and explore approaches to complex public health challenges.
By connecting researchers, institutions, and scientific perspectives, the Center provides a platform for ambitious research that extends beyond the scope of individual disciplines or projects.
3. Public Health Preparedness and Capacity Building
Strengthen the scientific and public health capabilities needed to address emerging and evolving health threats.
The Center works with public health agencies, healthcare institutions, research organizations, and communities to advance collaborative research, strengthen surveillance and research capabilities, and support public health preparedness.
Education, mentorship, and workforce development are also central to this work, helping prepare researchers and public health professionals to address current and future health challenges.
Global to Local. Local to Global.
Health threats do not respect geographic boundaries. Scientific discoveries in one part of the world can help us understand and address challenges elsewhere.
For more than two decades, UCLA researchers have worked with colleagues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to investigate infectious diseases, strengthen research capacity, and develop sustained scientific partnerships. These collaborations have contributed to our understanding of diseases such as mpox and Ebola while supporting scientific training and research programs with international relevance.
The Center builds on that foundation while expanding opportunities to address public health challenges closer to home.
Los Angeles is one of the world's most diverse and internationally connected metropolitan regions. Its population, global connections, and role as a major destination for international travel and events provide important opportunities for research and collaboration on infectious diseases, environmental health threats, public health preparedness, and other challenges
The Center connects scientific experience and expertise across settings, bringing insights from international research to local public health challenges while drawing on knowledge and innovations developed locally to inform research and practice around the world.
This two-way exchange of scientific knowledge, expertise, and experience is central to the Center's approach to global health security.
Research Programs and Initiatives
The Center brings together established research programs and emerging initiatives that advance scientific understanding of health threats and strengthen public health.
UCLA–DRC Health Research and Training Program
Founded in 2004, the UCLA–DRC Health Research and Training Program is a longstanding collaboration with Congolese research and public health institutions focused on infectious disease epidemiology, disease surveillance, vaccine research, and scientific training.
The program supports field investigations, laboratory research, and studies of emerging and vaccine-prev Its established partnerships and research infrastructure provide an important foundation for the Center's international research and training activities.
One Health and Emerging Zoonotic Threats
The Center supports research on infectious diseases at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health.
Through international and cross-border collaborations, this work investigates zoonotic pathogens, disease ecology, transmission, and the factors influencing disease emergence and spread.
Emerging Research and Public Health Initiatives
The Center provides a platform for developing new interdisciplinary research and partnerships focused on emerging health threats and broader public health challenges.
These initiatives create opportunities to bring scientific expertise together, pursue new research questions, and connect research with public health needs locally and internationally.
Education and Training
Training the next generation of researchers and public health leaders is an important part of the Center's mission.
Through international research partnerships, mentorship, field experience, and collaborative training programs, the Center supports students and early-career researchers working in infectious disease epidemiology, global health, and related fields.
The Center is home to UCLA's Global Health Certificate, an interdisciplinary educational program that provides graduate and professional students with opportunities to engage in global health coursework and experiential learning.
The Center also supports LA Student Epi Corps, which connects students with opportunities to gain practical experience in applied epidemiology and public health practice.
Together, these activities strengthen connections between scientific research, education, and the public health workforce.
Partnerships
The Center builds on longstanding relationships with international research institutions, public health agencies, and communities while developing new collaborations across UCLA, Los Angeles, and beyond.
We welcome partnerships with researchers, universities, healthcare institutions, public health organizations, governmental and international agencies, and other organizations interested in advancing scientific understanding and strengthening public health.
Support the Center
Emerging health threats present significant challenges, but advances in science and technology are opening new opportunities to understand and address them.
The UCLA Center for Global Health Security builds on an established foundation of infectious disease research and international partnerships while creating opportunities for new scientific collaborations and research initiatives.
Support for the Center will help expand research, strengthen scientific infrastructure, develop interdisciplinary initiatives, support international partnerships, and train the next generation of researchers and public health leaders.
Investing in the Center supports the science, people, and partnerships needed to strengthen public health and address emerging health threats locally and globally.