The Fairbanks School of Public Health has launched a new international learning laboratory based in the Balkans.
A network of international academic partners in South Eastern Europe will offer opportunities for students, faculty, staff and alumni of the Fairbanks School to engage in reciprocal learning with community and academic partners in a region of the world known for its rich and challenging social and political history that blends diverse peoples and cultures.
“This initiative recognizes the importance of global cooperation, diplomacy, and the power of diverse viewpoints, experiences and ideas for solving some of the world’s most complex and important public health problems,” said Sue Babich, associate dean and professor at the Fairbanks School. “The potential for all of us to gain from opportunities for reciprocal learning and innovation are tremendous.”
The program will serve as a center of excellence in curriculum internationalization, integrating learning and solution-creation among academic partners and community members, to improve the health and wellbeing of people in the Balkans and across the globe.
The South Eastern European Health Studies program represents a vibrant collaboration of academic and community partners throughout the Balkans, which includes Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova.
Partners are actively cooperating to strengthen and expand a rich body of work. The program currently includes faculty teaching exchanges, interdisciplinary curriculum development, and a range of strategic activities including student internships, study abroad programs, graduate programs, research collaboration, and community-engaged capacity building initiatives.
In addition to Babich, who completed a post as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Croatia in 2023, the program is represented by a large international team of scholars and community members. They include representatives from numerous institutions including: Faculties of Health Studies and Medicine at the University of Rijeka, Croatia; the Andrija Stampar School of Public Health and the University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Croatia; the Bled School of Management, Slovenia; the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia.