International Activities and Global Initiatives
Overview
The Office of Global Health welcomes international visitors (university faculty, students, nursing and health professionals, scholars and leaders) to observe, interact and learn more about the University of Maryland's (UM) nursing facilities, programs, and opportunities. International visitors bring new cultural and professional perspectives to the School of Nursing community, as well as help expand the School’s understanding of the roles and challenges of the global health nurse. Currently, there are three types of international activities to support nursing capacity development, strengthen on-going partnerships and cultivate new institutional collaborations for the university. These include:
- International Nurse Exchange Program (By invitation, for groups)
As a collaborative effort at UM, the International Nurse Exchange Program (INEP) is designed for key nursing professionals and offers opportunities to witness standard and high quality nursing practice and education and to develop professional strategies for what is feasible and possible within visitors’ home country. Participants interact with UMSON faculty, students and preceptors for approximately 1-2 weeks. This program strives to enhance participants’ global health nursing capacity as leaders, educators and practitioners with a focus on expanding existing partnerships. - International Visiting Scholars Program (By application, for individuals)
The International Visiting Scholars Program (IVSP) provides motivated nursing scholars with opportunities to develop specific learning objectives and conduct related activities in collaboration with an appropriate UMSON faculty mentor. Length and complexity of a scholars program is determined by a planning and proposal process. Applicants do not need to inquire directly with the faculty prior to applying; however, they should review the UMSON Office of Research website for an introduction to the strengths of the School. This program strives to expand individual’s global health nursing capacity as leaders, educators and researchers with a focus on building new partnerships and initiatives. - International Visitors Program (By request, for individuals and small groups)
The Office of Global Health welcomes short-term visitors with advance notice. A visitor’s fee may apply depending on requestor’s timeline, goals and objectives.
International Visiting Scholars
Jaehee Kim, PhD (June 2008 – December 2009)
Dr. Kim earned Ph.D. at Yonsei Univ., Korea, in 2004. Her dissertation topic was the “The relative efficiency of the Primary Health Care Post and its related factors.” Dr. Kim’s experience includes work as a researcher at an NPO for healthcare consumers and university lecturer on community health nursing and health education. Her research focus areas are community health nursing and health behaviors especially for adolescents. Currently, Dr. Kim is studying the utilization of nurses and the process of community participation for reorganizing primary health care in Korea.
Jean-François Desbiens (August 2009 – November 2009)
Mr. Desbiens is a nurse from Canada who has been working in oncology and palliative care for several years. He is also a Ph.D. candidate in nursing at Lavale University, Quebec City. During his IVS Program, Dr. Deborah Witt-Sherman, Professor and Assistant Dean for Research, served as his faculty mentor. Mr. Desbiens completed pre-doctoral learning objectives related to research training in palliative care and completion of a survey entitled: “Translating and adapting an Instrument Measuring Self-Perceived Palliative Care Nursing Competencies from French to English.” His research background involves palliative care nurses’ psychosocial adjustment to stress and palliative care nurses’ competencies. He is also interested in cancer survivorship, the experience of chronic illness and measurement issues in nursing.
Erick Landeros Olvera (May 2009)
Mr. Landeros Olvera of Mexico City, Mexico received his MSN in Community Health from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UNAL) where he is currently a Ph.D. candidate. During his IVS Program, Dr. Barbara Smith, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, served as his faculty mentor. Mr. Olvera’s program goals and objectives included pre-doctoral learning experiences to broaden his nursing research training in exercise physiology; international collaboration with exercise physiology researchers and scholars; and assistance in refining research protocol and intervention feasibility for his proposed dissertation study entitled “Physical exercise in women with obesity: physiological and self-concept adaptation”.
Seyda Ozbicakci, PhD, RN (January 2009 – April 2009)
Dr. Ozbicakci is an assistant professor at Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, Turkey, spent three months with the School’s Nursing Informatics program as a post-doctoral fellow, funded by Sigma Theta Tau International and the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing. During her IVS program, Dr. Judy Ozbolt, Professor and Program Director of the Informatics program, served as her faculty mentor. Dr. Ozbicakci took graduate courses in nursing informatics, systems analysis and design, and project management. She also met with informatics nurse specialists and leaders in health care organizations to explore effective methods and approaches to designing and implementing applications. Upon her return to Turkey, Ozbicakci plans to provide leadership in developing the nursing care planning and documentation components of her university hospital’s health record system.
List of International Visitors
2010 – 4 visits, 9 persons
- Delegation of 2 – National Hospital and National University of SINGAPORE
- May 3-7, 2010 (1 week)
- Fatima Ramos-Marcuse, UMSON Adjunct Asst. Professor, living in Geneva, SWITZERLAND
- April 8, 2010 (one meeting)
- Delegation of 2 – Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, SCOTLAND
- March 17, 2010 (one meeting)
- Delegation of 4 – UK, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND
- March 12, 2010 (one meeting)
2009 - 11 visits, 37 persons
- Delegation of 2 – Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, Seoul, KOREA
- December 10, 2009 (one meeting)
- Mary Opare, Head of Nursing, Central University College, Accra, GHANA
- November 2 – 12, 2010 (2 weeks)|
- Freda DeKeyser Ganz, Head of Masters Program, SON, Hassadah-Hebrew University, ISRAEL
- November 10, 2009 (one meeting)
- Sue Porter, Dean, W.J. Harley School of Nursing, United Methodist University, LIBERIA
- November 9, 2009 (one meeting)
- Delegation of 15 - Association of Indonesian Nurse Education Center (AINEC), INDONESIA
- October 23, 2009 (half-day)
- Fatima Ramos-Marcuse, UMSON Adjunct Asst. Professor, living in Geneva, SWITZERLAND
- October 20, 2009 (one meeting)
- Mme. Emilienne Leonidas, Vice Director, Nursing School, University of Notre Dame d’HAITI
- September 30 - October 2, 2009 (various meeting times)
- Delegation of 6 – Section of Nursing Sciences, Orebro University, SWEDEN
- August 12 – 14, 2009 (various meeting times)
- Delegation of 2 - Ministry of Health, Sultanate of OMAN
- July 9, 2009 (full day)
- Group of 4 undergraduate nursing students, Seoul National University, KOREA
- June 23 – 25, 2009 (three days)
- Delegation of 3 - Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing (KABON), Seoul, KOREA
- March 9, 2009 (full day)
List of International Nurse Exchange Programs (INEP):
- IHVN-Action Project, 4 Nigerian nurses (2 weeks, February 22 - March 8, 2010)
- IHV-AIDSRelief, 4 Nigerian nurses (2 weeks, November 9 – 20, 2009)
