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Our mission is to contribute to the improve-
ment of health through research, teaching
and direct services (consulting) in low- and
middle-income countries and at home. To
fulfil this mission, we attach great impor-
tance to linking our activities in two ways:
on the one hand, we want to make sure that
our staff teaches, evaluates development
projects in the health sector of low- and
middle-income countries and participates in
research so that their insight and experi-
ence from different activities are enhancing
each other. As an example, research results
are fed immediately into lectures; and
insights from policy evaluation help us in
the design of our own research projects. On
the other hand, we seek to look at health
and health systems from an international
perspective, linking experience in the North
and South.
An example is our study of different ways
to organize health insurance, spanning
from our own Bismarckian social security
to community-based insurance in Burkina
Faso. A third linkage we cherish at the
institute is the linkage between the different
disciplines. Health economists, epidemio-
logists, anthropologists, political scientists,
sociologists, mathematicians, geographers,
management specialists, and biologists
work closely together with public health and
clinical physicians.
Our staff is working within seven thematic
units:
1. Epidemiology and biostatistics, including
maternal and child health epidemiology
and non-communicable diseases and
aging populations
2. Disease control in disadvantaged
populations
3. Climate change and health
4. Reproductive health and HIV/AIDS
5. International health economics and
financing
6. Global health policy and health systems
7. Health service and quality management
Each unit develops their core area integ-
rating research, teaching and service. In
addition, we have a teaching unit to coor-
dinate and support the institute’s teaching
activities. The management support staff
coordinate administrative and financial
tasks.
An executive board comprised of the unit
heads and the head of the administrative
support is chaired by the director and is res-
ponsible for strategy and decision-making.
www.ukl-hd.de/PH
Who we are
The Institute of Public Health (former
Department of Tropical Hygiene and Public
Health) was founded in 1962 and has stea-
dily grown since. It is part of the medical
faculty of the University of Heidelberg and
receives public core funding. However, over
half of the funds are competitively acquired
for both research and teaching activities.
The institute currently boasts a staff of
about 60 from over 30 countries and inclu-
des the chair, one additional full professor
(C3), five assistant professors (scientists
with ‘habilitation’), one Mercator professor,
research associates, support staff and a
varying number of visiting scholars, post-
doctoral fellows and doctoral students.