Project from exchange programs are drowning the

Project Statement Dr. Shaimaa AbdelrehimKhalaf Ahmed, Egypt, Public health, Fulbright JuniorFaculty Development Program Benefits from FulbrightVisiting Scholar ProgramInfacing the challenges of the new era, many of the educational disciplines inthe whole world either at the international and/or national level in both thedeveloped and developing countries are bearing in mind how best to encounterthe changing needs and demands of the current time and the future as well. Oneconsequence of that is increased attention toward development of the universityjunior staff, since they are the ones who will ultimately apply any changesbeing considered in the future.

Noone can deny the importance of role which the international education plays inour life as faculty members. Skills and knowledge gained from exchange programsare drowning the first steps toward better educational advancementopportunities for the incoming generations. Personally, I am interested in FulbrightJunior Faculty Development Program because, as an Egyptian Faculty Junior Staff, I consider myself to be ideally suited to take courses that are central to publichealth. I consider myself to have working experiences in the chosen discipline, I’m always trying to develop my abilities through publishing of many scientificpapers since I gained my latest academic degree. Contribution in this honorabledevelopment program will enrich my skills with comprehensible, relevant and interestinglectures presented by other participants and colleagues.

Myprofession experiences which I had gained from working at such a greateducational organization such as Assiut University; increased my desire toengage in this precious program. I worked now as Lecturer/associate professorof Community and Public Health Nursing, which is like my selecteddiscipline-based cohort. Exploring the American Studies Program, will help me alot in curriculum development through the chance of studying abroadopportunities at both institutions. A Fulbright award will provide me the valuableand unique opportunity to extend Assiut University existing relationships withthe American faculty to our regional campus in Assiut, which is currentlyfocusing on internationalizing its curricula and placing greater emphasis on internationalstudies. Ibelieve that my extensive educational experiences particularly in the field of publichealth and community health nursing would be of benefit to the University. TheUniversity already has in place a variety of outstanding programs in thisfield, but my 10 years of teaching, research and professional and academic activitieswill allow me to get benefit from this program. In turn, I’m confident that myown view and understanding of public health and community health nursing especiallyfrom a comparative proportion would advantage from exposure to issuesconfronting the American society and other nations participating in this program. Infact, the influence of Fulbright program award for my home institution would besignificant.

If granted, it would be the first Fulbright program awarded to afaculty member in my department of Community Health Nursing, Faculty ofNursing, Assiut University and this will build channels of communicationbetween my home faculty and Fulbright program. Referring to my home faculty, weare a growing teaching and research institution that has undergone significantchange over the last twenty years. Currently, the decision makers inour faculty do their best to spread the culture of international study.    FulbrightVisiting Scholar Program would provide me with a fabulous and golding opportunityto strength my knowledge base and develop my leaderships skills and abilities. Participating in this fascinating program will add to my previous experiencesand enrich my career as a faculty junior staff. Teaming with American faculty tomove a vision education program forward is a challenge I welcome at this pointin my career.

More importantly, a global perspective of new trends and issuesin public health field for dealing with daily arising community health problemsmake me looking forward to know novel and modern methods for studying andsolving the most pressing health problems in my home country Egypt. AFulbright program award will benefit our home institution generally byillustrating, to faculty and students, as well the feasibility and benefits of studyingand working abroad. It is for this reason that I will make concentrated effortsto bring experiences and skills which will be gained from being in Fulbrightprogram to my home faculty, university and our community by givingpresentations and planned workshops to share and present lectures andactivities which I will participate in the American Faculty and sharing researchideas which we can engage with the American and other colleagues. Whenreturning to my home organization after finishing the program; I will do mybest to broadcast the culture of studying abroad, also I will encourage mypeers to pursue lecturing and research opportunities in other countries and I willreach out to faculty students who are interested in studying abroad. Because myfaculty does not currently have staff dedicated to international programs, I willuse my experiences to uniform our efforts to build such a program. Studying abroad for exchanging of knowledge and experiences have showed positive implicationson our work as a field researcher, this is the message that I intend to reachfor everyone.

Morespecifically, through my affiliation to Assiut University, I’m looking forwardto playing a significant role in figuring and developing of formal relationshipbetween the American Faculty Program in Global and American Studies and AssiutUniversity Programs in Public Affairs through faculty and student exchangeopportunities. This will aid our University to achieve its stated goal ofinternationalizing its curricula and encouraging global studies among facultiesstaff and students as well. Ifully expect that I would build these ties within the American Faculty as well Ihope to foster future exchanges between Faculty of Nursing, Assiut University, Egypt and the American Faculties. I believe that my time as a visiting juniorfaculty staff in America will enhance me personally and professionally and willenrich my home university as well. I will plan to get benefit from every momentthat I will spend in this valuable visiting program. Interest area inthe programIfI was lucky and gain the program award, I really find that all the presentedtopics course in my cohort discipline (public health) are of my area ofinterest and concern, but I have especial focus on family and community health. Women in our community suffering from many of interrelated gender basedviolence and discrimination appear clearly in disadvantaged area such as ruralcommunities, so women health issues and problem are attracting my attention andmade me very curious to identify and get benefit from the American experiencesin dealing with such problem and trying to apply this experience when returnedto my home country and find new ways and applying new models for solving thehealth problems that women are facing in my home county Egypt.

Also, I have great intention and concern for studying occupational health. Moreover, I indeed to learn more about new research tools and methods to help me as a researcherin the community field. Researching about the problems, studying their causeswell and finding solutions for them is my professional career, so if I gainedthis grant, I will have great chance to learn about the modern research methodsthat are used in the American faculty. When I return to my home institution Iwill share these new learned methods with my colleagues to make our researchwork more better. I have great hope to explore new ways to be used in theclassrooms to assist me as a junior faculty staff.  Plan to apply theacquired skills and expertiseForany educational and/or training program to have an impression in the chosenapplicants it must be dispersed to a wider audience and beneficiaries. Thisprogram could be significant for those unites and administrative bodies responsiblefor training of future faculty staff as well as for policy makers involved ineducational process.

Specifically, results from this program will bedisseminated through seminars, lectures and workshops in Faculty of Nursing, Assiut University. Inaddition, results will be communicated through publications in the faculty anduniversity journal. As a professional-oriented researcher, I will also shareresults with other lecturers, administrators, students and colleagues. The goalwill be to have broader conversations and open discussion about the gained benefitsof attending of international exchange programs and what we can add to ourresearch methodology and what we can do with these results, as individuals andas institutions. Infact, I will try to be a liaison between my faculty and the program; I will bechannel of communication to convey everything that I will gain and learn duringthe program courses. Also, I will try with my colleagues to change our oldmethods of teaching, updating and replacing them with the new one which will begained during the program courses. I will ask my professors and colleagues toadd a new subjects and new concerns to our curricula to broaden the students’knowledge base and encourage of self-learning.

Specialized areaof researchThroughmy professional career; I taught a wide variety of courses: principles of communityhealth nursing, research methodology, quantitative analysis, population, socialstructures, ethical issues in public health research, aging and ethical issues. I’m quite comfortable with teaching classes of different sizes, at variouslevels and with applying of teaching styles. Early in my career, I receivedscholarship from the American University in Cairo to attend a workshop forthree weeks about reproductive health and the concerned issues in theneighboring Arab Countries. I find interest in studying issues addressingmaternal and child health care problems and applying new methods of research forstudying this serious public health problem. Working on the most prevalentdisease among children such as hearing impairments or issues belong to womenhealth is appear clearly in my published papers. The most interesting area ofresearch for me is working on the epidemiology of health problems which facedby women and young children especially pregnant women and school agedchildren.   Publichealth and studying the risk factors of the most prevalent communicable andnon-communicable diseases in the community is my target aim and area ofresearch within my faculty colleagues, so I will try to strengthen my knowledgeand expand my experiences with every learned issue during this treasuredexchange educational program course.

During my grant I will do my best tocollaborate with the American faculty to explore new methods to be used tosolve health problems and I will try to apply them when I return to my homecountry. Visiting theAmerican SocietyVisitingAmerica is one of my biggest dreams in my whole life. Fulbright visitingprogram will provide me a great chance to meet colleaguesin the American Faculty and as such it is imperative for me to see and speakwith them within the setting in which they live and work.

In addition, theResearch Centers in America offer access to several resources that will becrucial. Exposing to new teaching and research methodology, observing classes, attending seminars and developing linkages with American faculty will add                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     expertiseto my profession as a junior faculty staff. On-going community engagement withuniversity-identified host families, volunteers, or others in the broader localcommunity will facilitate my participation in outreach activities, beside theopportunity to visit the historical sites and attendance of cultural eventswhich help me a lot to know much about American culture and society. Theseconnections will be valuable during this program.

Being with the Americanclassmates will provide me an avenue to expose to their curriculum developmentwhich aid me a lot when return home. Throughbeing in the American society, I’ll introduce my country Egypt for the otherparticipants as a secure and country with open economy. Egypt with it iscivilization is considering as one of the most affluent countries in the Middle-Eastarea, although it still facing public policy challenges. From my side when being in the American Faculty I’ll do my best tointroduce the Egyptian heritage, culture and civilization to my colleagues. I’ll invite them to come to Egypt and visit our historical places. As a facultymember in my home institution, I will introduce our studying models andeducational methods to my colleagues. Our major health problems, concerns, social problems and our methods to deal with these topics will be also my axisof dialogue with other colleagues and American faculty members.

American society is one of the most open, multicultural and civilized country in the whole world, visiting such an amazing society will enrich my life at the personal and professional level. Being in this program will achieve the major aim of collaborative and international exchange of knowledge and educational experiences among all Fullbrighters.