Global Health Track

The Global Health track is designed to prepare students to serve global populations both internationally and domestically as clinicians, educators, scholars, and policy makers. In the track, students are exposed to a range of global health concepts through interdisciplinary didactic course work and through their global health clinical and scholarly activities.

All students in the track take two approved graduate-level courses in global health from a pre-selected list curated from Yale schools or departments. Students must also complete a minimum of 60 additional clinical hours in an international setting with YSN-approved preceptors by enrolling in Clinical Practice I and II for Global Health Track (NURS 6230 and NURS 6240).

Students enrolled in the Global Health Track will have opportunities to enhance their advanced practice nursing education through structured engagement with Yale School of Nursing’s partner institutions and community organizations located in various international settings, including Cabo Verde, China, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Panama and Uganda.

There are three primary objectives of the global health experience:

Develop a deeper awareness and understanding of health issues experienced by global populations.
Identify social determinants of health, including climate change, that impacts local families.
Provide students opportunities to incorporate a human development approach to addressing global and planetary health issues.

The track is open to students in their first year of specialty study in the M.S.N. program. Enrollment is limited. Students are encouraged to complete a track application in the fall term of their first specialty year. Students are also strongly advised to discuss their interests with the YSN Global Health Track Director prior to applying to the track.

Application

Zhao Ni Track Director: Zhao Ni, PhD, BMed, RN, FAAN, FAHA

About

Dr. Ni’s research focuses on using mobile technologies to prevent cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS. He has conducted international research at the interface of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and mobile health in the U.S., China, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cameroon. His current projects are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and focused on developing artificial intelligence chatbots to promote HIV testing and prevention in Malaysia among populations at high risk for HIV/AIDS. Dr. Ni is also a faculty lead of the Yale Office of Global Affairs & Planetary Health and serves as the Director of International Academic Partnerships and Programs.

Before joining Yale School of Nursing, Dr. Ni was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Yale School of Medicine. His postdoctoral training was supported by an NIH-funded R01 project in which he conducted research at the interface of HIV and mobile health. Specifically, Dr. Ni adopted mobile technologies to eliminate health disparities in healthcare among HIV/AIDS key populations, such as sexual minorities and people who inject drugs. Dr. Ni is a multiple PI (contact) and the project director of a R21/R33 project and a R21 project, respectively. He continues to conduct international research at the interface of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and mHealth in the U.S., China, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cameroon, and the Philippines. He is also a PI of several mHealth research projects aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease in these countries.

Dr. Ni attended Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Yunnan Province, China, and earned his Bachelor of Medicine degree with the highest distinction. Additionally, he received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duke University School of Nursing and in 2019, he received his Certificate in College Teaching, PhD Degree in Nursing, and Doctoral Certificate in Global Health from Duke University. His dissertation entitled “An mHealth-Based Medication Reminder Program for Patients with Coronary Heart Disease” won the Distinguished Dissertation Award.

Awards & Recognition

Over the years, Dr. Ni has received several awards for his academic work including Outstanding Graduate of Yunnan Province, Yunnan Provincial Scholarship (awarded to the top 1% of students), Best Intern Award, Outstanding Student Leader Award, International Dissertation Research Travel Award, FLAGS Research Award, Meritorious and Citation Award, the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar Award, and recognition by the Chinese Nursing Association for one of his 2020 papers as one of the most excellent papers. He gained clinical experiences as an RN in the Cardiovascular and Emergency Departments of the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, the largest medical center in Yunnan Province. Dr. Ni has published in leading peer-reviewed journals in the field of mobile health, served as a journal reviewer for 31 international, peer-reviewed, scientific journals, and presented his research work in the U.S., China, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Germany, South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia.

Dr. Ni is a member of the American Heart Association’s national committee, an Editorial Review Board member for SAGE Open Nursing, and an Associate Editor for three peer-reviewed scientific journals: PLOS Digital Health, Frontiers in Public Health, and JMIR mHealth and uHealth. In recognition of his achievements, he was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2023 and a Fellow of the American Heart Association in 2024.

Questions or for more information, please contact:

Track Director: Zhao Ni, PhD, BMed, RN, FAAN, FAHA

Phone: 203-737-3039