Internationalization

Awards

Ohio State a 2016 Finalist for APLU Global Learning, Research and Engagement Award

Ohio State was one of four finalists for the 2016 Association of Public and Land Grant Universities’ inaugural institutional award for Global Learning, Research and Engagement. The award recognizes institutions as innovators in their comprehensive efforts to internationalize their campuses. Arizona State University, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Minnesota also were finalists. The award recognizes a demonstrated commitment to and institutional evidence of a core set of criteria: empowering all students through global learning; addressing global problems through scientific and scholarly efforts; fostering an international culture throughout the campus including a broad range of internal and external stakeholders; and measuring progress and assessing impact across the institution.

Ohio State Honored with 2014 Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization

Ohio State is a recipient of NAFSA's 2014 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, which recognizes institutions for overall excellence in internationalization efforts as evidenced through best practices in engagement, programming, curriculum/faculty development and outreach. Ohio State's countless initiatives and programmatic efforts reach students, faculty and alumni on campus and around the world. NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. The Simon Award is universally considered the most prestigious award for comprehensive internationalization in the U.S.

International Engagement Awards

The International Engagement Awards recognize students, faculty and staff at Ohio State who have engaged in exceptional international outreach and community service projects.

International engagement is defined as joint international research, teaching or service that benefits and impacts communities in the United States and/or abroad. The Office of International Affairs holds the International Engagement Awards competition every spring.

Award Guidelines

Recipients of the Distinguished International Engagement Award ($3,000) will have demonstrated outstanding achievement in and commitment to international outreach and engagement by having established a project that has a long-term record of sustained impact, achievement and scholarship.

Recipients of the Emerging International Engagement Award ($1,000) will have demonstrated outstanding promise in international outreach and engagement with the development of a relatively new initiative that has demonstrated short-term results and has the potential for long-term impact, achievement and scholarship.

Distinguished International Engagement Award: Tracing Cryo-Hydro-Social Transformations in the Tropical Andes

Earth’s tropical glaciers are losing mass, transforming downstream hydrology and impacting people according to this 14-yearlong collaborative international engagement partnership. The project has been documenting how climate change and glacier melting in the tropical Andes of Peru has transformed downstream hydrology and impacted communities.  Observations of changes in glacier volume, hydrology, water quality and land usage and complemented with social and economic data about perceptions of and responses to environmental change.

Emerging International Engagement Award: The Lily Project Collaboration: Working with Women for Women in the Fight Against Cervical Cancer

The Lily Project is a community-based women's health NGO in Nicaragua operating mobile health clinics in rural villages delivering cervical cancer screening, treatment, diagnosis and sexual health education. Launched in 2016, The Lily Project has provided services to more than 20,000 women. Currently, The Lily Project operates two clinics, each with capacity to serve 3,000 women annually.

Distinguished International Engagement Award: South Africa Antibiotic Stewardship “Train-the-Trainer” Mentoring Program for South African Pharmacists

The Ohio State University – South Africa Antibiotic Stewardship “Train-the-Trainer” Mentoring Program for South African Pharmacists has contributed to reduction in use of antibiotics, improved quality of patient care and increased safety for South African citizens who are impacted by the threat of antibiotic resistant “superbug” infections. Led by Debra Goff since 2012, the program has advanced the profession of pharmacy by placing pharmacists in direct patient care. By empowering pharmacists to engage patients and healthcare providers to improve the responsible use of antibiotics by implementing antibiotic stewardship programs, they ensure that antibiotics are used only when necessary.

Emerging International Engagement Award: Outreach Committee in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese

The Outreach Committee in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese emphasizes the pedagogical, social and academic value of partnering with diverse communities in the Columbus area and beyond. Signature events include Festival Latino in the summer, Día de los Muertos in the fall, and a partner luncheon in the spring.

Distinguished International Engagement Award: Neonatal Survival Program

The Neonatal Survival Program is led by Diane Gorgas, MD, and has contributed to the global reduction in neonatal deaths through intensive and targeted training and empowerment of local healthcare workers in Haiti and East Africa since 2013. With a proven method of creating culturally appropriate clinical training and mentorship opportunities, Ohio State has educated over 900 nurses, physicians and healthcare workers to efficiently and effectively assess newborns and provide needed interventions leading to improved outcomes.

Emerging International Engagement Award: Our Common Home: A Youth-Based Approach to Food Security

Our Common Home: A Youth-Based Approach to Food Security came to fruition out of common challenges facing the sister cities of Columbus, Ohio, and Accra, Ghana. These issues included food insecurity, climate change and youth disengagement. The vision was to connect the two communities through urban gardens cultivated by youth, along with cross-cultural exchanges, to mutually improve urban food security, promote climate resilient systems and positively develop youth.

Distinguished International Engagement Award: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, China Pediatric Violence and Injury Prevention and Research International Program

The “Nationwide Children’s Hospital, China Pediatric Violence and Injury Prevention and Research International Program, led by Henry Xiang, MD, in the College of Medicine, has worked diligently since 2004 to provide training opportunities to Chinese scholar and professionals on issues critical for reducing pediatric violence and injuries. The project strives to expand collaborative research activities between the injury control research centers and researchers in the United States and China, and provide opportunities for Ohio State College of Medicine residents, fellows and physicians to travel to the People’s Republic of China to enhance their knowledge and skills in pediatric emergency medical care at a network of Chinese children’s hospitals.

Emerging International Engagement Award: Umoyo wa Thanzi 

The Umoyo wa Thanzi dynamic research collaboration based in rural Malawi and led by Alison Norris, MD in the College of Public Health allows faculty and students from Ohio State and the Malawi College of Medicine to work alongside staff from the non-profit organization, Child Legacy International, to better understand the healthcare decision-making process, and improve access to preventative and curative care. The collaborative now employs five full-time Malawian researchers and conducts clinic-based studies of tuberculosis, sexual health, community-based studies of cervical cancer, reproductive health decision-making and injuries to women during prolonged childbirth.

Distinguished International Engagement Award: Ghana Sustainable Change

Ghana Sustainable Change is a collaboration between the Offinso North District Assembly and Ohio State’s Department of City and Regional Planning in the Knowlton School of Architecture. Led by Kimberly Burton, the program focuses on creating Ghanaian communities that are sustainable and resilient through interdisciplinary research and service-learning. Ohio State faculty and staff work with these communities to achieve their locally-identified goals, building strong planning and development foundations.

Emerging International Engagement Award: The Ohio State University and South Africa Collaborate to Combat Antibiotic Resistant ‘Superbugs 

Led by Debra Goff, this collaboration project addresses the issue of ineffective antibiotics due to an increase in antibiotic-resistant superbugs. In South Africa, a lack of infectious disease-trained physicians and pharmacists creates many health disparities. In order to address this issue, Ohio State faculty from the Colleges of Pharmacy, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine work with pharmacists in South African hospitals to understand local barriers related to these superbugs and how antibiotic stewardship research can improve care. The success of this project contributed to the South African Minister of Health’s decision to establish and fund two centers of excellence for antibiotic stewardship mentoring, and four hospitals have implemented antibiotic stewardship rotations.