International Affiliates

University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule) , Magdeburg

Since 1994, there has existed an Intercollegiate Agreement for Cooperation between SDSU and the University of Applied Sciences (formerly called Fachhochschule Magdeburg) in Magdeburg, Germany. The University of Applied Sciences (UAS) now offers 4-year degree courses and will soon offer a Masters degree in selected programs in applied sciences.

In July of 1999, the President of SDSU, Dr. Stephen Weber, met with Dr. Andreas Geiger, the Rector of the UAS Magdeburg, in order to reaffirm and enhance the existing exchange agreement between the two universities. This cooperative program between universities has been very successful in promoting international understanding and developing both academic and cultural ties. Already, it has established a successful record of cooperation between UAS, Magdeburg and the GSPH at SDSU in the fields of health promotion and social work, as well as environmental health and water management. Interested GSPH students can take classes, do internships/field practice, and participate in cooperative research in Germany for a period of one month up to two full semesters. The GSPH Faculty advisors for this program are Dr. John Elder for Health Promotion and Dr. Rick Gersberg for Occupational and Environmental Health.

Universidad de Chile

The School of Public Health at the University of Chile is the only accredited school of public health in all of Chile and it has enjoyed an integral role in Chile’s public health education, research and policy development for the past 58 years. Founded in 1943 upon an agreement among the University of Chile, the Chilean Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Health and with support from the Rockefeller foundation of the United States, the School has been responsible for training graduates in a number of public health areas and professions. Moreover, the School has become the guidance in the organization and development of health services throughout Chile and Latin America. Throughout its history, the School of Public Health has welcomed into its classrooms nearly 500 international students from all parts of the world. In addition, the School has a staff of 56 academics, many of whom have received their undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in public health at esteemed international universities.

Currently, the School of Public Health at the University of Chile is working to strengthen existing collaborative agreement with international academic institutions and exploring the development of new ones. With the rapidly changing nature of public health and its increasingly complex international situation, it is imperative for schools of public health from all countries to join efforts and engage in exchange of mutually benefiting activities for both institutions.

At the present time, faculty members, Drs. Greg Talavera and John Elder, from the Division of Health Promotion, have established an agreement between the GSPH at SDSU and the School of Public Health at the University of Chile on academic exchange opportunities. Such agreement includes, teaching and research activities, publication of jointly authored articles related to health promotion efforts in Latin American and an elaboration of a health promotion textbook written by colleagues from throughout Latin American.

VIIDAI: Team, Service, and Cultural Immersion VIIDAI is a unique, international public health field experience for students and faculty from the GSPH. This is an acronym for V (viajes/travels), I (interinstitutional), I (integracion), D (docente/teaching), A (assistence), I (investigacions). VIIDAI is in its 6th year and is a partnership between three academic institutions: the SDSU GSPH, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Tijuana, School of Medicine, and University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. The VIIDAI co-directors are Dr. Miguel Fraga of UABC and Dr. Stephanie Brodine of the division of Epidemiology.

To date, the field work has been based in migrant camps, however in academic year 2002-03, the experience was extended to a colonial population of indigenous people in San Quintin, Baja California, Mexico. Each semester, approximately 90 faculty and students in medicine from the three institutions spend approximately four days in the field, in integrated Mexican and American teams. Students, with faculty and doctoral student leaders, conduct health assessments and interventions, deliver health care, and provide much needed stimulation (and entertainment!) to the children of the migrant camp. For GSPH students, VIIDAI has an emphasis on Epidemiology in the fall, with professor Dr. Alfonso Rodriguez (California Office of Binational Border Health) and an emphasis on Behavioral Health Promotion in the spring with Dr. John Elder (Health Promotion). Additional GSPH faculty from all Divisions also participate, and projects are multidisciplinary. Several faculty from UABC also participate each semester, including primary medical care and subspecialty disciplines, psychology, and social work.

Community service is also an important component of VIIDAI. The migrant camp and indigenous colonia have all the hallmarks of needy populations in a developing country. The GSPH students and faculty have worked together to provide crucial information, such as water and air quality and even HIV status, that is shared with the Baja government health officials. Development of partnerships, such as with Rotary International, expand the service component that the VIIDAI team can provide. Future plans include extending this experience to migrant populations on the United States side of the border.