The UCL International Institute for Society and Health is a unique multidisciplinary collaboration of leading academics, working on health and society in a global context in conjunction with the Global Health Equity Group (GHEG). There are gross inequalities in health between rich and poor countries. Life expectancy in Sierra Leone is just 34 years compared to 82 years in Japan. Even within a rich country like the United States, there is a 20 year life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest groups. The mission of the Institute is to take action on the social determinants of health, to provide solutions to global health problems, and to improve the health and well being of all, especially the poorest. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals focus on relieving poverty, and its health effects, among the world's poorest by 2015. The social determinants focus of the Institute will complement these goals by focusing on a broad range of populations- poor, intermediate, and better off. It will, in addition, provide much needed evidence that will add impetus to the achievement of these goals. The Institute provides a platform for linking UCL's strengths in humanities, medicine and social sciences, in order to tackle the problems of global health and the multi-factorial causes of health and disease.