'Pamoja Tunaweza': A Collaborative Program Model for Global Health Training & Education

Area of Science:

• Global Health Education
• Higher Education Partnerships
• Experiential Learning

Background:

• Increasing student demand for global health education in US higher education institutions.
• Need for innovative institutional partnerships to meet educational demands.
• Establishment of a collaboration between Cornell University and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo) in 2007.

Purpose of the Study:

• To share an innovative program model for global health training and education.
• To discuss the challenges, successes, and lessons learned from a long-term international partnership.
• To highlight the outcomes of a collaborative experiential learning program in global health and development policy.

Main Methods:

• Joint design, implementation, and evaluation of an experiential learning program.
• Development of a policy case study collaborative program and course.
• Sustained partnership activities over 15 years, involving student and faculty engagement.

Main Results:

• 176 Cornell undergraduates and 188 KCMUCo medical students participated.
• 75 policy case studies were developed through the collaborative program.
• Established an innovative cross-cultural teaching model, secured funding, and facilitated professional development and research.

Conclusions:

• Long-term international academic partnerships can effectively enhance global health education.
• The Cornell-KCMUCo collaboration demonstrates a successful model for experiential learning and policy development.
• Navigating challenges in sustained partnerships leads to program innovation and strengthened collaborations.