Mary T. Phelan and Kate Tafelski
hat does the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) have in common with a university half a world away? On a trip to Israel in 2013, then-UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, saw the potential for partnership between UMB and the University of Haifa (UH) based upon a shared passion for academic excellence and social engagement in their communities and around the world.
Since then, 100 students and faculty have participated in the UMB-UH Partnership, which involves community-based, interdisciplinary training that fosters collaboration across professions and cultures, informs civic awareness, and develops cultural competencies that students will incorporate into their professional practice.
The partnership is bidirectional. It allows students from UH and the UMB schools of social work, law, and nursing to go overseas and learn local approaches that promote the participation of diverse populations around shared civic and social concerns. Students of both countries return home more prepared to serve their communities in their professional capacities and to engage in collaborative community projects that enhance social justice and reduce social, economic, and health disparities.
“Traveling to Israel and participating in the interprofessional global health experience reinvigorated my passion for working in the Baltimore community,” says Rachael Parran, MS, BSN, RN, a doctoral student in the School of Nursing. “I learned that our world is large and our cultures may be different but we can learn from each other to improve the conditions in our own communities, and that working collaboratively with other disciplines is an effective approach to tackling complex issues.”
Traveling to Israel and participating in the interprofessional global health experience reinvigorated my passion for working in the Baltimore community.“
RACHAEL PARRAN, SCHOOL OF NURSING DOCTORAL STUDENT
These experiences would not be possible without the philanthropic support of donors such as Leonard Attman; Alvin Katz, CPA; Abba Poliakoff, JD; and Steve Dubin, JD, who collectively hosted a gathering of friends and supporters celebrating the partnership between the two institutions.
Katz, a UMB Foundation, Inc. (UMBF) trustee, says, “This opportunity, where our UMB students — who might not otherwise have a chance to visit Israel — can live, learn, and experience life there, will be transformative. It is exactly the type of opportunity that will bring us closer, allow us to share innovative practices, and build the ties that will result in future economic growth for both cities and countries for years to come.”
Fellow UMBF trustee Dubin expressed the belief he and his wife Mim have in the positive change the program brings to both communities. “We are passionate about helping to build bridges between our two countries and believe that introducing our future UMB lawyers, social workers, and nurses to their counterparts in Israel provides exactly the type of person-to-person learning and bonding that will strengthen both countries.”
This program needs further support so the partnership can continue to thrive and more students in both countries, regardless of their economic status and ability to pay, can be exposed to this wonderful opportunity for international and interprofessional education.
To make an investment in our future leaders of both countries, contact John Palinski, MPA, at jpalinski@umaryland.edu or 410-706-0183 or visit www.umaryland.edu/giving/UMB-UH.
