Mellissa Withers, PhD, MHS, is assistant professor at the University of Southern California Institute for Global Health at the Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, California.
Judith McCool, PhD, is senior lecturer and head of the Department of Pacific Health at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Dr. McCool also is director of the Master of Health Leadership Programme at University of Auckland School of Population Health.
More information about The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) APRU is a nonprofit association of 45 leading Pacific Rim academic and research institutions. Members come from all over the region, including Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, and the U.S., among others. Established in 1997, APRU contributes to the development of an increasingly integrated Pacific Rim community. Witnessing the rapid economic integration of the region and the formation of APEC, APRU’s founding presidents’ vision was to establish a premier alliance of research universities as an advisory body to international organizations, governments, and business on the development of science and innovation, as well as on the broader development of higher education. The network’s members collaborate to address key social, environmental, and economic challenges in the region and around the world. The APRU Global Health Hub leverages the program’s interdisciplinary research and education to address key issues facing the region, including community development, environmental sustainability, poverty reduction, reducing health disparities, and workplace wellness. The Global Health (GH) Hub is hosted by University of Southern California, managed by Dr. Mellissa Withers, and partners with the USC Global Health Institute.