Pictured from left to right are Anelise Hofman, coordinator,
Kent State Brazil office; Seyi Balogun, graduate assistant
in the College of Public Health; Mark James, professor
and chair, Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences and
Epidemiology; and Claudio Ribeiro, professor and head of
Malaria Diagnostics and Research, FIOCRUZ.

Kent State University’s College of Public Health developed new international courses and collaborations with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during a 10-day trip in March by members of the Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology.

The college and FIOCRUZ will collaborate to develop the 2016 Global Health Latin America Immersion course focused on public health activities in Rondonia State and Rio de Janeiro. The two-week course is scheduled for May 2016 and will be directed by Mark A. James, Ph.D., professor and department chair. Kent State graduate student Seyi Balogun will serve as teaching assistant.

In addition, the college will offer a two-week biostatistics course designed for researchers at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, co-taught by Kent State and FIOCRUZ instructors in fall 2016. Discussions were opened regarding potential collaborations with faculty and researchers in the School of Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil. At both institutions, James lectured on the current state of malaria vaccine development, and the team recruited potential graduate students.

"We successfully recruited a Brazilian student to the MPH degree program in epidemiology," James says. "This short visit to Brazil exceeded our expectations in achieving potential bilateral exchange opportunities for faculty and students. The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is one of the most prestigious public health institutions in the world. Establishing an international partnership with FIOCRUZ places the College of Public Health at Kent State among the recognized leaders in global public health."

To learn more about Kent State’s College of Public Health, visit www.kent.edu/publichealth.