Events showcase IU’s international collaborations in health equity, research and practices
Indiana University’s three decades of leadership in establishing equitable global health partnerships, such as the AMPATH partnership in Kenya, has resulted in improved health and well-being in underserved communities globally thanks to robust collaborations, and through international HIV and malaria research.
Faculty, medical students and trainees will showcase their work, and faculty will present their research. It’s an opportunity to participate, encourage and network.
The event begins with Department of Medicine Grand Rounds presentation by Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Public Health Department in Indianapolis and associate professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine. She will discuss health equity issues.
“Global Health Scholars Day spotlights the depth and diversity of ways that IU faculty, staff and learners are engaged with partners around the world to improve health and well-being and promote health care equity for people in resource-limited communities,” said Dr. Adrian Gardner, director of the IU Center for Global Health Equity.
The center provides resources and facilitates collaborations for faculty throughout the university engaged in global health work. It is committed to growing the global health impact of IU through research, faculty support, education, care and service programs, and the translation of research into an easily understood format so it can be used by organizations, communities and policymakers.
AMPATH nursing conference
Another example of IU’s international health impact is the first AMPATH Global Nursing Scientific Conference in mid-May in Kenya. It is being coordinated by IU School of Nursing assistant professor Jane von Gaudecker, who is working with colleagues from Kenya and other AMPATH Consortium schools.
“The conference’s purpose is to cultivate a collaborative platform for AMPATH partners from across the globe to share innovative practices and evidence-based strategies to improve patient care outcomes, and collaborate on nursing education and research development,” von Gaudecker said.
Dean Robin Newhouse and students from the IU School of Nursing are scheduled to be there.
Global successes impact Hoosiers
A growing type of collaboration for IU is leveraging its experience in global health to address specific health care challenges in local immigrant and migrant communities in Indiana. In the fall, IU announced a new initiative to improve health in the Hoosier state by applying innovations and expertise built through its decades-long partnership in Kenya to rural and urban communities throughout Indiana.
The initiative is supported by a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation to Indiana University, and also involves the IU School of Medicine, Fairbanks School of Public Health and major Indianapolis hospital systems.
The grant — called Applying Global Lessons to Advance Health Equity in Indiana, or APPLE-IN — will help identify community health needs in Indiana and adapt lessons learned from work in Kenya and other parts of the world and improve them to respond to those needs. This process of “reciprocal innovation” is an area where IU provides leadership domestically and internationally.
Health commitment goes beyond medicine
IU’s commitment to new and expanding endeavors involves the collaborative efforts of faculty who share information and develop strategies to promote and grow the university’s future as an academic leader in global health.
For example, faculty members from the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, Fairbanks School of Public Health in Indianapolis, Kelley School of Business, School of Nursing, School of Dentistry, Office of the Vice President for International Affairs and School of Medicine joined the Center for Global Health Equity for a fall retreat. Faculty members provided specifics about their initiatives in service, training and research, as well as potential opportunities to collaborate to grow new and existing partnerships.
Faculty members interested in global health can become affiliated faculty members and join the effort to align talent and resources to achieve the center’s mission of improving health globally and preparing the next generation of global health leaders.
