Public & Global Health Studies

The Public & Global Health Academic Track at The Umbra Institute invites students from all academic backgrounds with an interest in the discipline to study the local realities of public health in Italy, while also using comparative methods to understand the larger influence on public and global health on communities near and far to Perugia.

Why Study Public & Global Health in Perugia?

Perugia is located in Umbria, known as the Green Heart of Italy. Within this region, it is easy to find an emphasis placed on sustainable living both as it relates to environmental and personal well-being. In addition, Italy hosts a complex national healthcare system, is known for the health benefits of its Mediterranean lifestyle, and welcomes diverse migrant communities that present their own health challenges that Italy addresses through various care clinics and other support systems. In addition, while Italy was one of the original global locations of outbreak during the recent pandemic, Umbria was the first region to detect the omicron variant, putting it at the forefront of global public health campaigns for that outbreak.

Students are able to complete classes, taught in English, towards their degree requirements. Many students are able to receive major or minor credit for the courses offered in Umbra’s Public & Global Health Track. Contact the ISI Abroad Admissions office for more information on transfer credit possibilities with your home university.

Research Opportunities

For students who are looking forward towards graduate school, Umbra Institute offers possibilities for research. For those with advanced language abilities in Italian or a project that does not require Italian, there is an Independent Research Course (IR 297/397/497). This is a student-centered learning experience in which participants engage in advanced research on their selected topic with the support of a faculty mentor. It is ideal for students who have previously studied a particular topic and would like to continue exploring it in more depth through individual research. Interested students should first fill out the proposal form. Please note that clinical research is not available.