What is the future of global health? In April, attendees of the 2026 annual conference for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) explored possible answers to this question. The Washington, DC meeting, which assembled leaders from academia, government, the private sector, and other organizations, reflected CUGH’s commitment to strengthening global health through partnership and scientific rigor.
The 2026 annual program featured more than 40 panels, 500 abstracts, and 200 speakers, including Michael Herce, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of International Operations at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases.
Herce—a recipient of both Fogarty’s Launching Future Leaders in Global Health (LAUNCH) Research Training Program and its International Research Scientist Development Award—described how he implemented lessons learned in Zambia for North Carolina.
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