The UAB Pediatric Underserved and Global Health Collaborative exists to promote equitable child health, human rights, and well-being in the global context through the empowerment and mobilization of pediatric research, public health initiatives, education, clinical care, and advocacy. We strive to accomplish these goals through bidirectional, longitudinal, ethical, and culturally-sensitive partnerships between UAB and global partners. We value a teamwork, collaborative approach across the multiple disciplines and sectors that work together to improve the health of children globally.
Our primary purpose is to support activities towards these three main aims:
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Facilitate career development of UAB pediatric global health faculty
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Enhance global health education for UAB pediatric trainees
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Develop a pediatric-specific agenda for underserved and global health populations
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Encourage capacity building within UAB global health partner sites
PUGH Co-Directors
Nora Switchenko, M.D.
Dr. Nora Switchenko is an assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology with an academic focus in global health. Specifically, she is interested in improving respiratory care for small and sick newborns born in low-resource settings. She led a quality improvement initiative to establish a bubble CPAP program in an urban newborn unit in Kenya. Dr. Switchenko is originally from New England, and completed her medical training at Oregon Health and Science University and the University of Utah.
Erica Bjornstad, M.D.
Dr. Erica Bjornstad is an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Nephrology and has over 15 years of global health experience. Her current research and programmatic interests are improving the care of children and adults with kidney disease in low-resourced areas, through improved recognition and detection of disease such as the use of novel dipsticks for acute kidney injury. In addition, her work focuses on enhanced clinical capacity building for all nephrologists (or practitioners who care for renal patients) as well as active engagement and education of clinicians to conduct their own research locally through epidemiology workshops. Her work is currently focused in Zambia and Malawi.
Carmelle Wallace, M.D.
Dr. Carmelle Wallace is an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. She completed a combined pediatric emergency medicine-global health fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, her pediatrics residency at University of Texas Southwestern, in Dallas, TX, and medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Prior to her career in medicine, Carmelle was a materials engineer for Genzyme corporation in Cambridge, MA. Her global health work is in pediatric emergency medicine capacity building, medical education, and public health approaches to child protection and child trafficking. Her trafficking research focuses on survivor-derived recommendations for best practices, disparities and identification of vulnerable populations.
Meghan Hofto, M.D.
Dr. Meghan Hofto is an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine. She completed her pediatric hospital medicine fellowship at UAB, her pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, OH, and attended medical school at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. Dr Hofto has a strong interest in global health in addition to hospital medicine; while in fellowship she obtained a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene through the Gorgas Institute. She is the faculty advisor for the resident Global Health Interest Group and leads the new Pediatric Underserved and Global Health Scholars program.