Glossary of Terms

Global Health
The Institute of Medicine defines global health as the “health problems, issues, and concerns that transcend national boundaries, may be influenced by circumstances or experiences in other countries, and are best addressed by cooperative actions and solutions.” Global health does not refer only to health issues that are relevant in less developed countries, but rather focuses on health problems that pertain to the health of people in the United States and those abroad.

The health of a nation is defined by the interaction of many factors that are studied in a wide range of disciplines, ranging from social class and racism to ecological changes to globalization and migration. For example, issues of social class, racism and income inequality, often studied and addressed in sociology, political science, or economics courses, are associated with health disparities within countries. Globalization issues, such as trade agreements between countries and the policies and repercussions associated with these international agreements, such as individuals’ poverty levels, are studied in various fields, including political science and regional studies. The world is faced with new emerging diseases as people move into new regions, altering the ecology of those locations and becoming exposed to new vectors, as studied in the fields of ecology, biology, and public health. Migration of people from rural to urban areas, from poorer to wealthier countries, or from one city to another after a natural disaster, as studied by demographers and sociologists, leads to new types of medical problems or health care access needs, as observed by medical practitioners and public health professionals. In sum, global health refers not only to health issues that transcend national boundaries but also to issues that transcend fields of discipline.

Implementation Science
Implementation Science is the study of the systematic uptake of knowledge and the implementation of that knowledge into routine organizational practice (and everything that facilitates or impedes it). It is typically conducted in health services settings and includes an examination of the influence of contextual factors (e.g., organizational policy) and individual factors (e.g., healthcare professionals) on organizational behavior.