Partnering with China

UNMC's partnerships with China have resulted in significant collaborations in education, exchange, research, and clinical care.

Established in 2005, the Asia Pacific Rim Development Program (APRDP), now part of the Office of Global Engagement (OGE), strives to increase UNMC’s research scope and efficiency, provide meaningful exchange programs for faculty and students, and foster friendships and cultural understanding, ultimately improving health education, care, and science in China, the U.S., and worldwide. To date, more than 900 visitors have participated in various collaboration and exchange programs through UNMC’s APRDP.

UNMC’s education and exchange programs include opportunities for Chinese students, faculty, and researchers to study in Omaha while UNMC students, faculty, and researchers study in China. In 2004, UNMC established a research partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which led to the creation of a Joint Research Center in 2007. Through this center, an annual Joint Research Symposium was held in Beijing, Shanghai, and Omaha alternately, and topics have included cancer research, inflammation and disease, and international biomedical research.

University of Nebraska One Health Research Initiative in Rwanda

Colleagues across the University of Nebraska System partnered with scholars, non-governmental organizations, and institutions in Rwanda to better track and share research.

Stephen Obaro, MD, PhD, of the UNMC Department of Pediatrics along with colleagues Mary Hallin, PhD, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and Elizabeth VanWormer, PhD, DVM, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, received a 2020-2021 NU Collaboration Initiative Planning Grant supporting the One Health Research Initiative. The goal of the project was to develop a collaborative platform for One Health activities and programs that included scholars across Nebraska campuses and partners in Rwanda. The project identified University of Nebraska research being conducted in Rwanda and developed an accessible online database of those existing projects. This database facilitated collaborations and aligned multidisciplinary teams with extramural funding opportunities.

The planning grant supported engagement of local communities in Rwanda on One Health activities and strengthened partner collaborations. This program also initiated development of a University of Nebraska collaborative engagement model with scholars, non-governmental organizations, and institutions in Rwanda. The project team consisted of faculty and staff from the UNMC College of Public Health and the Department of Pediatrics, including Abbie Raikes, PhD, Victoria Nakibuuka-Muli, MPA, MPH, Nick Kocmich, MPH, and Amy Rezac-Elgohary, MA.

Africa Summits

In 2018, the Office of Global Engagement, along with UNMC’s H. Dele Davies, MD, senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the University of Nebraska Central Administration, teamed up to host two Africa Summits. These gatherings provided opportunities for collaboration among faculty, staff, and graduate students across the four University of Nebraska campuses with interest in any country or region of Africa related to research, teaching, or other forms of engagement with individuals, educational institutions, governments, or the private sector.

Both Africa Summits consisted of keynote speakers and numerous panels and presenters. The panels focused on various subjects including health sciences, agriculture and the environment, arts, humanities, business, and the social sciences. Presenters included UNMC’s James Lawler, MD, director of international programs and innovation at the Global Center for Health Security, and Stephen Obaro, MD, PhD, director of pediatric international research, as well as faculty from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.