As a young nurse in Kenya, Jacob Kariuki, PhD, discovered the revolutionary power of data collection and analysis — and the value of global perspectives to better understand health issues.

That background serves him well in his role as assistant director for global health research with the Lillian Carter Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility (LCC), where he drives innovation and develops partnerships primarily in Africa.

Before joining the LCC, Kariuki knew about its global health success, such as reducing household air pollution from cookstoves in Guatemala and strengthening the nursing workforce infrastructure and data collection in Kenya. He was particularly drawn to the School of Nursing's Emory-Ethiopia Partnership, which includes a successful initiative to improve maternal-child health using simple, low- or no-cost measures in remote communities. The same partnership gave rise to Ethiopia's first nursing PhD program, and "could become the North Star of the center's engagement with the Africa continent," he says.

Kariuki sees potential for growing research in a variety of ways. For example, the LCC's International Visiting Scholars Program attracts health professionals from across the globe. These scholars, he believes, could foster new research collaborations.

"I've long admired the LCC's work in global health, service-learning, and community empowerment," says Kariuki. "When Dean McCauley described the center's plans to strengthen global health research, I knew immediately I wanted to play a part."