For Immediate Release

November 13, 2007

School of Social Work Welcomes Global Health Research Scholars from the Republic of Kazahkstan

New York, NY –The Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW) welcomed twenty health research scholars from the Republic of Kazakhstan. The scholars, who are all affiliated with the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health, will be participating in a 5-week interdisciplinary health science and services training series at the School. 

Coordinated by the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia and Office of Professional Excellence at CUSSW, the training series is targeted to individuals and organizations working in the area of health service planning and delivery, with a focus on national and international trends, issues, and strategies. The goal of the training is to prepare the scholars to conduct health-related research in the areas of prevention and intervention.

“The interdisciplinary curriculum that we designed with our colleagues from the schools and departments at Columbia University is targeted to scholars who are interested in the design of better social and health systems of care,” says Nabila El Bassel, D.S.W., Professor and Director of the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia. “We believe that this dynamic curriculum can be used as a prototype to train additional public health scholars from Central Asia and others parts of the world.”

The 5-week training focuses on four inter-related modules – bioethics, epidemiology, biostatistics and health services research – taught by faculty at CUSSW, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the Columbia University Institutional Review Board, the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning, and SUNY Stonybrook. In addition, the coursework will be complemented with site visits to social and public health departments in New York City, scientific public health seminars, and meetings with the team of experts from the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia.

“We are proud to host our first cohort of global health research scholars at CUSSW,” says Marianne Yoshioka, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs. “Social development is a focal research area of CUSSW, its faculty and associates. Addressing global, national, and local health concerns is important in progressing toward positive social change.”

For more information, or to interview Dr. El Bassel, please contact Jeannie Hii at 212-851-2327 or [email protected].

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About CUSSW (www.socialwork.columbia.edu)
For more than 100 years, the Columbia University School of Social Work has been the leader in practice and policy. Located in New York City, the School offers Master’s and Doctoral programs which are nationally and internationally recognized for their excellence. With a signature curriculum and far-reaching field education experience, CUSSW continues to be at the forefront of clinical practice, public policy, teaching, research and social work innovation in the 21st Century.

About the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia
Based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the Columbia University Global Health Research Center is the first research center on global health established by a university in Central Asia. The Center serves the countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan to develop effective solutions to pressing health problems and to reduce health disparities in Central Asia.