Fall 2026 Quarterly Conversations in Global Health

October 14th, 2026 @ 3pm

Great Hall, UC San Diego

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​RSVP HERE

 

Water is fundamental to health, yet millions of people continue to face barriers to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene. Climate change, environmental contamination, aging infrastructure, and social inequities are creating new public health challenges globally and here in California. Join researchers whose work spans environmental health, community-engaged research, and policy as they explore how improving water systems can advance health equity for vulnerable populations. 

Safe water is essential to health, yet billions of people worldwide. Many communities here in California continue to face challenges accessing clean water and sanitation. Climate change, environmental contamination, and social inequities are reshaping the global water landscape and creating new public health challenges. Join UC San Diego faculty and researchers for a conversation on how water intersects with environmental justice, planetary health, and health equity. Learn how interdisciplinary research is informing policies and community-based solutions that improve health outcomes locally and around the world.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Speakers:​

Dr. Alhelí Calderón-Villarreal

Alhelí is a Mexican physician, researcher, and current Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health at the California State University San Marcos. Her research interests include environmental health and justice, health equity, access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), structural violence, menstrual health, health policies and others. Alhelí founded and directs the binational Socio-Environmental Tijuana River Project since 2019, a US-MX transdisciplinary community-based mixed-methods research project combining both research and advocacy on environmental structural violence. She is particularly interested in the intersection between harm reduction and environmental health fields in the San Diego-Tijuana region. She has collaborated with international agencies, community-based organizations in Mexico and the US, and academic institutions in the Americas and Europe.

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Dr. Georgia Kayser, PhD

Dr. Georgia Kayser is an Associate Professor in UC San Diego’s Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. Her research examines access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, with a focus on water quality, environmental exposures, and health inequities. She has conducted research in more than 20 countries across the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia, informing programs and policies that protect community health. Through her leadership with the UC Global Health Institute’s Center for Planetary Health and its Water and Health Research Fellowship, she also mentors emerging researchers working to improve water access and advance health equity.

 

Dr. Elizabeth Frost, PhD

Dr. Elizabeth Frost is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of New Mexico whose work sits at the intersection of global health, health equity, and community-based interventions. Elizabeth earned her PhD in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health from the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in 2025. Her doctoral research examined menstrual hygiene
management and girls & economic empowerment in Nigeria, centering Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as a determinant of gender equity. She has broad research interests that include menstrual health and hygiene, health disparities, and expanding access to health services across underserved communities globally and locally. She brings over a decade of experience in public health research, program development and implementation, and health policy advocacy. Her current postdoctoral research at UNM examines cancer care disparities, treatment access, and survivorship in rural and urban New Mexico communities — work that speaks to the same underlying questions of equity and access that define global WASH challenges. Outside of her research, Elizabeth is an active member of the Albuquerque community and enjoys supporting local community events with her family and volunteering with the New Mexico Public Health Association.

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This event provides a forum for the Global Health community at UC San Diego to discuss relevant issues from an interdisciplinary perspective and increase community interaction. Don't miss the opportunity to engage with various organizations tabling at the event, offering resources and information to support your journey in Global Health.

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