Study Abroad

Uganda — Maymester 2019: The program in Uganda provides an educational, applied, and cultural opportunity for up to 15 undergraduate or graduate students interested in public health, research and practice of alcohol misuse and harm (including violence, injuries, and HIV).  Students will be introduced to public health issues from a global perspective.  Through mentoring and hands-on experiential activities, students will gain invaluable knowledge and skills that will augment their academic preparations at Georgia State. The program builds on Dr. Monica Swahn’s research in Uganda over the past 9 years and her previous appointment as a Fulbright Scholar at Makerere University in Kampala.

Japan — Maymester 2019: This new study abroad program is focused on learning about Zen Buddhism Tradition and provides educational, applied, and cultural opportunity in Kamakura, Japan for up to 10 graduate students who are interested in public health, integrative health, research, and practice of traditional forms of mind-body healing. Students will be introduced to a cultural context where Mindfulness originated. Through mentoring and hands-on experiential activities, students will gain invaluable knowledge and skills about the history of mindfulness and the Zen Tradition as part of the culture of health that will augment their academic preparations at Georgia State. The program builds on Dr. Shanta Dube’s research on the impact of stress on health, and practices that originate in Asia/East Asia that can counteract the stress response, build resilience, and promote well-being.

Dominican Republic — June Minimester 2019: This interdisciplinary field study abroad program offers a three-week overseas academic adventure on the southern coast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The program provides an opportunity for students to increase their cross-cultural awareness, while studying social justice and health disparities from an international, comparative perspective.  The program also offers homestays with local families, language classes, guest lectures from local experts, service learning projects in the community, and excursions to cultural and historical sites.

Brazil — Summer 2019: The program will provide an educational and cultural opportunity for 10-15 graduate and undergraduate students interested in global public health research with a focus on collective health, health promotion and epidemiology as conducted in Salvador, Brazil. The program will include: in-class instruction, weekly public health field trips in the city of Salvador, cross cultural lectures, and an applied research project as well as language instruction and homestays. Students will also participate in excursions in the state of Bahia.

Check out some of our past program offerings:

The 2018 study abroad program in the Dominican Republic focused on gaining a global perspective of health disparities and examining social justice.  The program also offered homestays with local families, language classes, guest lectures from local experts, service learning projects in the community, and excursions to cultural and historical sites.

In July 2018, Prof. Christine Stauber lead students interested in global health on an educational and cultural learning adventure in Salvador, Brazil, focused on examining collective health, research and practice. Students also experienced the culture and natural beauty of Bahia.

In May 2018, Prof. Monica Swahn lead students interested in global health on an educational and cultural learning adventure in Uganda, focused on public health research into alcohol misuse and harm. The program built on Dr. Swahn’s ongoing research in Uganda.

In Fall 2018, a new program in India focused on learning about the origins of yoga and meditation in Ayurvedic Medicine. Ten graduate students travelled to Pune to learn about public health, integrative health and use of traditional healing systems in a cultural context. The program was built on Prof. Shanta Dube’s research on the impact of stress on health and practices that can counteract the stress response, build resilience and promote wellbeing.

During the 2017 Maymester, Prof. Christine Stauber led a study abroad to Salvador, Brazil, where our students learned about global public health research with a focus on collective health, health promotion and epidemiology. Students lived with Brazilian families, which provided them with additional insight into the daily lives of people in this city, the capital of the state of Bahia and home to a unique Afro-Brazilian culture.

During the 2017 Maymester, Prof. Monica Swahn lead a three-week study abroad program adventure –a course on alcohol and harm in Uganda. The course covers the basic research on alcohol and harm through lectures, site visits and field trips to organizations that seek to prevent or treat alcohol problems in their community and country. The course also provides an up-close view of vulnerable communities and their residents, particularly the youth.

In May 2016, students from the School of Public Health visited Salvador, Bahia, Brazil to learn about global public health issues facing the country, including the Zika virus outbreak and the related issue of microcephaly. Students also spent time learning about Afro-Brazilian culture and took in the natural beauty of Bahia with a visit to Lençois.

In May 2016, students from the School of Public Health traveled to Kampala, Uganda, to learn about the global epidemiology of alcohol use and alcohol-related harm, particularly among young people living in the city’s slums. Their three-week course included visiting a rural village, meeting with organziatons working in alcohol abuse prevention and spotting wildlife during a daylong safari.

In July 2015, students from the School of Public Health and the Department of Geosciences visited Shanghai, China. Their two-week course put them in the classroom and community, side by side with Chinese students from top-ranked Fudan University. The program focused on the use of mapping technology to study public health challenges in China.