Summer: Rutgers- Global Health Practicum in Ghana
The Program
The Center for Global Health will organize a 14-day, 13-night program for Rutgers students based in Kumasi, Ghana. There will be two pre- departure orientation sessions for students to learn about program objective, outcomes, and training skills. Two Rutgers University preceptors will accompany the group and be responsible for all course instructions. RUSON/ Global will be provide academic, logistical, and emergency support.
Program Locations
Ghana
Kumasi
Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti region of Ghana. It is known as the “Garden city “. A very beautiful and vibrant city, that hosts several people from all walks of life. It is quite a busy city with many smaller towns and districts. With a solid history and beautiful culture, the city can boast as one very industrialized one among the host of other cities in the Ashanti region.
Academics
Learn about healthcare delivery through close observation of healthcare faculty and professionals in a global setting. Engage in discussion and field-based learning with faculty and students from the school of nursing at the Garden City College University. Explore Ghana's natural beauty through visiting cape coast and Kumasi cultural center. Students are required to have a minimum of 45 contact hours.
The Garden City University College is one of the private universities in Ghana. It is located at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. It was established in 2001 as the College of Information Technology and Management Systems. The college was converted into the Garden City University College in 2004. It has been granted accreditation by the National Accreditation Board.
Students will have the opportunity to visit Kumasi Cultural Centre, Bonwire – “kente” weaving centre and Cape coast – Castle & Canopy walk.
Housing and Meals
Students will share double rooms in a hotel. Breakfast is included every day. Some lunches and dinners may be included. Students are responsible for meals not included in the program.
Scholarships
Faculty Leaders
An advanced practice nurse and board-certified family nurse practitioner, Iwu is an alumna of Rutgers School of Nursing where she received her MSN from the family nurse practitioner program and her PhD in Nursing. After earning her doctorate, she was named a Carnegie Foundation Fellow and also completed a two-year, National Institutes of Health-funded Ruth L. Kirschstein Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her BSN degree from Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden and holds a BA degree in School Health Services from Rowan University in Glassboro.
Prior to joining the faculty at Rutgers in 2014, Iwu worked with the Institute of Human Virology and School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore as a faculty senior technical advisor for the CDC/PEPFAR-funded HIV Treatment, Prevention, and Care program in Nigeria. Her work included spearheading the development of national curricula for educating nurses and community health practitioners across Nigeria on HIV prevention and care.
Iwu’s research interests include HIV treatment access, retention, and outcomes (to reduce disparities) for children, adolescents, and families; health provider education/practice; and nursing leadership. Sigma, the international honor society of nursing, presented her with its Global Research Award in 2014.
Her current funded research includes a grant from the Institute of Human Virology-Nigeria and a grant from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office of the United Kingdom, on which she serves as the principal investigator in Nigeria. She is conducting a longitudinal assessment of new midwifery education and training initiatives in conflict-affected areas of Northern Nigeria.