Since initiating the partnership in 2016 by the UNMC College of Public Health, this important partnership continues to evolve in ways that will enhance the benefits to both UNMC and the University Anahuac Veracruz (UAV) faculty and students, as well as the communities that we serve. In recent years, the UNMC Department of Family Medicine, supported by the UNMC Office of Global Engagement, has assumed a lead role in advancing the program.
The shared vision is to build on the successes experienced by the UNMC medical Spanish program, the annual global health course taught in Veracruz by UNMC faculty, annual service-learning trips for UNMC students and the annual international health fare conducted in numerous communities surrounding the campuses in Xalapa and Cordoba.
The next phase in the expansion of the partnership will focus on (1) UNMC’s support in the development of a research infrastructure and related portfolio and (2) the bi-directional exchange of students and faculty, hosted at UNMC by the vice chancellor for research, the department of family medicine and the department of neurological sciences. UNMC students and faculty will be hosted at UAV by the leadership of the medical schools in Xalapa and Cordoba. These exchanges of medical students, residents and faculty are scheduled to begin summer 2025.
To design an effective and proactive program, a senior delegation from UNMC traveled to Veracruz in early October to engage in several days of planning meetings focusing on the design and implementation schedule for these activities. The UNMC team was led by Jane Meza, PhD, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Ken Bayles, PhD, vice chancellor for research. They were joined by Jeff Harrison, MD, chair of the department of family medicine; Matt Rizzo, MD, FAAN, FANA, chair of the department of neurological sciences; Harnoor Dhaliwal, co-executive director, Scott Scholars Program, college of medicine; and Armando De Alba, MD, MPH, PhD, associate professor and assistant dean, department of family medicine.
“The department of family medicine is pleased to be involved with this new exchange program with UAV. This program will offer a unique and enriching experience that fosters personal and professional growth and cultivates intercultural understanding,” Dr. Harrison said. “The benefit for both UNMC and UAV participants, our cities and countries will be considerable.”