BUSSW Student Collaborates with Rwanda Community Health Centers in UGHE Isôoko Global Education Program
Rebecca Joseph, a student in Boston University School of Social Work’s (BUSSW) MSW program, is one of ten graduate students selected for the inaugural cohort of the Isôoko Global Community-Based Education Program in northern Rwanda.
Designed for students pursuing advanced health-related degrees, the 3-week program is hosted by the Department of Community Health and Social Medicine at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), a university founded by the global nonprofit Partners in Health.
The UGHE, which calls the program a “contextual learning experience,” writes on X that it aims to teach future health leaders to view communities as their “experts, teachers, and advisors” through firsthand experience addressing inequities through community health.
During the program, Rebecca and her fellow program participants will visit 15 field sites, focusing on rural areas, and conduct various case-based, team, and individual projects promoting collaboration and knowledge application.
Rebecca is a dual degree student in social work and public health. She hopes to continue strengthening her social work public health practitioner skills at a community level to serve individuals affected by traumatic events to reduce the long-term impact of port-traumatic-stress disorder PTSD. In addition, continue to promote holistic well-being.
The University of Global Health Equity is the brainchild of the late Paul Farmer, co-founder of both UGHE and Partners in Health, who established the Paul Farmer Professorship at BUSSW and served as a board member for the School’s Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health (CISWH). A partner of the UGHE, CISWH shares the organization’s commitment to strengthening community-based health and education.
