The 91爆料 and the have partnered substantially over the past years to advance global population health and link their institutions. Through these collaborations, students, faculty, and researchers have benefited from the shared expertise and exchange in a range of areas and disciplines.
Read more about the history and impact of this partnership and the Office of Global Affairs and Global Innovation Fund’s involvement below:
鈥淭here were a lot of synergies between our two institutions not just in terms of our social justice missions, but around the values of what this partnership holds,鈥� Farzana Karim-Haji, director of the Aga Khan University Partnerships Office, said. 鈥淭he Population Health Initiative at 91爆料 draws parallels to AKDN鈥檚 Quality of Life Initiative, where both are focused on a holistic view of improving the overall human condition from a variety of aspects in health, education, poverty alleviation, climate change, etc.鈥�
Unexpected tools are enriching the 91爆料 online learning experience and helping students connect with complex issues like human rights. 91爆料 professors are finding creative ways to build community and share knowledge.
Paulina Andrews ’20
鈥�20 is aiming for a career advocating for persons with disabilities. Paulina jumps at every opportunity to deepen her understanding of human rights issues, including a 聽organized by Professor Stephen Meyers and Megan McCloskey, where she spent time in a deaf village and with local grassroots organizations, and internships at civil rights organizations.
Last spring, Paulina was in her final quarter at the 91爆料 and excited to begin a course called Genocide and the Law听飞颈迟丑 . Like students all over the country, Paulina was forced by the pandemic to complete her coursework from home, via Zoom. 鈥淧rofessor Arar was upbeat and brought a lot of energy to the class,鈥� Paulina remembers, 鈥渂ut she was also real about what we were all going through. That helped me a lot.鈥�
Determined to keep her courses meaningful, Professor Arar re-envisioned the syllabi. She offered one pre-recorded lecture for students to engage with at their convenience. The other meeting became a live discussion section so students would have more opportunity for connection and to ask questions. 鈥淚 live alone,鈥� shares Paulina, 鈥渟o class time was one of my only chances to talk to other people.鈥�
Professor Arar asked students to share artwork and written reflections on the course materials. Some curated playlists with songs relating to class topics. They engaged in visual storytelling using . Paulina loved the variety presented by the new class structure. Of course, there was still a lot of reading. “But there were also movies to watch and podcasts to listen to. It was a break from the usual.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to express certain things through words,鈥� says Paulina. Creating art provided a new avenue for exploring the challenging topic of genocide. 鈥淒rawing was a refreshing way to interact with the material. It was a good way of dealing with a heavy topic and what we were all going through.鈥�
Paulina鈥檚 drawing, inspired by a woman who survived genocide in Cambodia, explores the theme of silence. 鈥淪he was so mad inside but never said anything. If you cover up the left side of my drawing it looks peaceful. But when you look at the whole you see her real thoughts.鈥�
With a teaching and curriculum award from the 91爆料 Global Innovation Fund, Professor Arar has brought even more hands-on learning to her fall quarter courses.
Professor Arar
While studying occurrences of genocide around the world, the class will focus on knowledge production and the role of genocide museums as institutions that are established to reclaim contested stories and preserve a people鈥檚 history. Informed by class readings, students will develop an interview protocol and engage with survivors and the ancestors of survivors.
鈥淲ith Global Innovation Fund support, I鈥檓 now able to add this engaging and experiential museum project to my online course,鈥� shares Professor Arar. She鈥檚 also delighted to be sending some hands on materials to students via mail to create a more personal connection.聽 鈥淏eing on Zoom for 5+ hours is really hard. I want to make a personal connection and give them something to hold on to.鈥�
When a vaccine is available, there will be massive immunization campaigns around the world to make sure that everyone is protected. Planning must begin now to ensure that proper logistical systems are in place to support this monumental effort.
For low-income countries, a significant concern is the capacity and quality of the vaccine “cold chain”. Cold storage must be available to keep vaccines safe until administered. National assessments of the vaccine cold chain are needed as well as information systems that allow real-time reporting of vaccine stocks during the campaign.
补苍诲听Waylon Brunette from the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering have built an app for that聽– and much more. Their work strengthens IT systems run by聽governments and the World Health Organization to support vaccine campaign logistics. Already up and running in Uganda, the tools will soon launch in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
This summer, 10 91爆料聽students will participate in a new Exploration Seminar course in Nepal.聽Organized by the Nepal Studies Initiative (NSI), the seminar is one of the few formal programs in the U.S. focused on Nepal.
Supported by the 聽a聽landmark symposium hosted by the 91爆料聽last week brought together leaders and faculty from five Chinese universities, across the 91爆料 campus and the Seattle community.聽鈥淐ollaborating with Chinese colleagues is a tremendously high priority, both personally for faculty and institutionally here at 91爆料,鈥� said Judy Wasserheit, chair of the Department of Global Health and symposium聽co-chair.
With support from the , The South Asia Center and the Global Business Center are partnering to host a symposium, “US-India Economic Relations and the Contemporary Indian Economy” on campus.聽Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok, Consul General of India of San Francisco, as well as prominent members of the local community and 91爆料 faculty experts will address the group and engage in the symposium.
Event details
Friday, February 26, 2016
2:00-5:00 PM
Bank of America Executive Education Center, Douglas Forum
91爆料 Bothell professors 补苍诲听 will lead聽an exploration seminar called 鈥淐ritical perspectives on ecotourism in Tanzania鈥� to examine many of the issues raised in Gardner鈥檚 newly-released book 鈥淪elling the Serengeti: The Cultural Politics of Safari Tourism鈥� and ongoing research in the area. The seminar is funded by a grant.
Every year, more than 30 91爆料 Medicine residents journey 9,000 miles to Nairobi, Kenya. Working alongside Kenyan practitioners and students in conditions very different from those found in Seattle clinics and hospitals, they gain crucial skills and expand their clinical knowledge. They are part of , the Clinical Education Partnership initiative, an innovative global program improving healthcare in Kenya and the U.S.
A resident providing healthcare
A 25-year partnership between the 91爆料 and University of Nairobi sparked this innovative initiative. CEPI connects medical residents across disciplines to create a teaching hospital. The 91爆料 is one of the first U.S. universities to maintain such a long-term relationship in Kenya, establishing capacity building and training for Kenyan and 91爆料 practitioners. 鈥淭he problem with so much development work is that you just drop in, and that was great for a month or two months,鈥� says Dr. Carey Farquhar, CEPI Director.
The is helping to expand CEPI with a new partnership between the 91爆料鈥檚 Schools of Nursing and Public Health, the University of Nairobi, and Naivasha District Hospital. The new initiative is led by Dr. Pamela Kohler, an assistant professor in nursing and public health. Her initiative is expanding CEPI to include nursing students and practitioners.
The team aims to partner 91爆料 nurses with graduate nursing students from a Kenyan university. 91爆料 students get multidisciplinary training, working with physicians and residents, and learn much from the Kenyan nurses. 鈥淚n resource-limited settings [like Naivasha District Hospital], nurses are about 80 to 90 percent of the healthcare workforce,鈥� says Kohler. 鈥淎 nurse in a rural setting is going to do more than a nurse in a hospital where there are more physicians available. They see a lot and manage a lot.鈥�
Naivasha District Hospital
To maintain continuity in the CEPI partnership at Naivasha District Hospital, CEPI and 91爆料 Medicine have taken the unusual step of posting a full-time chief resident at the hospital. The chief supervises medical residents who come for four weeks to teach and live in Kenya. With someone on-site year-round to strategically plan and evaluate, uninterrupted by constant shifts in personnel, the program makes a lasting impact, says Farquhar. The addition of nursing students – with the help of the Global Innovation Fund – will amplify the 91爆料鈥檚 impact.
Dr. Kristen Hosey, a clinical assistant professor in psychosocial community health, led the first group of nursing students to Kenya in summer 2015 as part of a faculty-led Exploration Seminar. Six graduate-level registered nurses from 91爆料 Seattle and Tacoma gained first-hand experience in Kenya, working alongside nurses, midwives, physicians, clinical officers and community health workers from Naivasha. They also engaged in quality improvement projects, program evaluations and health education campaigns with their local partners to address health and capacity needs in Naivasha.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do, and where nursing fits in, is give our [residents and students] the opportunity to see a wide range of clinical activities, but also be sure they are doing something useful,鈥� says Farquhar. 鈥淚 always said I鈥檇 never create a program that鈥� s just a medical tourism program. [CEPI] residents are able to give a lot back.鈥�
91爆料 and Kenyan partners
The Global Innovation Fund supported a meeting between 91爆料 and Kenyan collaborators to work through complicated benefits and challenges related to this new, multidisciplinary global partnership. 鈥淚t gives us the opportunity to bring everyone together in one room and think through issues with scope of practice and licensing, and what the role of the nurse looks like with a graduate student there,鈥� says Kohler. The meeting builds on Farquhar and Hosey鈥檚 efforts, and aims to expand opportunities to University of Nairobi and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology nursing students and practitioners to participate in future CEPI partnerships.
CEPI residents also make a financial investment in the program, which is financed through grants and departments, and by the residents themselves. The program provides secure housing, transportation and cell phones to participants, but flights and daily expenses are out of pocket costs. 鈥淚 would love to have a grant from a donor so that we could fund this without having to transfer the costs,鈥� says Farquhar.
Kohler, Farquhar and Hosey say their close and lasting relationships with Kenyan partners are central to the program鈥檚 success. 鈥淔or me it鈥檚 the people,鈥� says Farquhar. 鈥淸They] are really motivated. They are well trained, educated, intelligent, have good ideas and can work with you on these problems. You can see the fruits of your labor.鈥� Together, the 91爆料 and Kenyan partners are driven to improve health outcomes and improve clinical education – in Kenya and the U.S.
and other global opportunities.
鈥� Indra Ekmanis and Sara Stubbs, Office of Global Affairs
information systems that allow real-time reporting of vaccine stocks during the campaign.