Graduate students from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions are in Omaha this week for the International Student Research Forum at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
This marks the first time the gathering has been held in the United States. For the past two years, UNMC has sent students to the forum when it was held in Beijing and Tokyo.
Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Don Leuenberger said UNMC is honored to host the forum.
"Such forums provide an opportunity to showcase the world-class education, research and clinical facilities we have at UNMC," Leuenberger said. "It is special to have some of the best and brightest students in the world congregate here in Omaha.”
Vice chancellor for Research Tom Rosenquist, Ph.D., said UNMC being selected to host the conference is indicative of the medical center’s growing international stature. “We’ve been working hard to increase our international presence,” he said. “Hosting this conference is truly indicative that UNMC has arrived as an international player.”
Twenty UNMC students and 24 international colleagues are participating in the conference. Institutions with students and faculty at the forum are The Institute of Medical Science at The University of Tokyo, the Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Russia’s Moscow State University, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in India, the University of Melbourne in Australia and the Australian Academy of Sciences.
UNMC is excited by the opportunity to showcase its campus and research, said Jialin Zheng, M.D. associate professor in the UNMC departments of pharmacology/experimental neuroscience and pathology/microbiology and director of the Asia Pacific Rim Development Program (APRDP). The APRDP is the sponsor of this year’s forum.
UNMC’s selection as host is an indicator of the quality of its students, Dr. Zheng said, noting that the international colleagues decided to bring the forum to Omaha after being thoroughly impressed by the contributions from UNMC students at the previous two forums.
"Given the caliber of the visiting institutions, UNMC should be very proud that it has been asked to host the forum," Dr. Zheng said, noting that the participating institutions are among the best in the world.
After attending the previous two forums in Asia, Nathan Erdmann, a UNMC M.D./Ph.D. student, said he is excited to show his international colleagues what’s going on in Omaha and at the medical center.
"This is a great opportunity for students and the university to represent ourselves to a global audience," said Erdmann, who is one of coordinators of the student-run conference.
The forum allows the students to share their research and culture with others from around the globe. In years past, the forum has allowed UNMC students to see what life is like for graduate students in other countries and to make valuable contacts with international students.
The forum officially started Monday morning with an opening ceremony at the Durham Research Center that featured comments from Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey. During the forum, each participating student made a 15-minute presentation about their respective research projects.
The students also had time to get to know each other in informal settings such as a kickball game in Elmwood Park and a pizza party at Johnny Sortino’s on Sunday, and a Monday dinner at the TreeTops Restaurant at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo.
The forum will conclude today with closing ceremonies at the Durham Museum but some of the international students will remain in Omaha for a nanomedicine symposium hosted by UNMC’s Center for Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine, which is directed by Alexander “Sasha” Kabanov, Ph.D.
The 20 UNMC International Student Forum participants are listed below by their hometowns or native countries:
UNMC students from Nebraska:
Bellevue — Michael Mulhern
Clarkson — Laura Fisher
Holdrege — Dan Flaherty
Lindwood — Brandi Babcock
Omaha – Jennifer Bailey, John Eggers, Nathan Erdmann
Plattsmouth — Thomas Wilson
UNMC students from U.S. but outside Nebraska:
Kansas City, Mo — James Randazzo
UNMC students from foreign countries:
China — Qian Zhang, Li Yang, Xiang Yi
India — Shantibusan Senapati, Subhankar Chakraborty, Sonal Tuljapurkar, Kalyan Nannuru, Puttappa Dodmane
Japan — Satoko Kiyota
Puerto Rico — Agnes Constantino
Russia — Daria Alakhova
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.