Global Partner Studio (GPS) Institute | Oct. 1-5, 2018

Students on safari in Tanzania.

Catalyzing collaboration around health, social innovation & STEM education.

In the exciting world of high-impact experiential learning, relationships are everything. UB faculty and staff have amazing partnerships with institutions and regions all over the world. By building on these partnerships we can engage faculty, students and community members in ways that will result in deep and lasting impacts.

The GPS Institute represents an innovative vehicle for traveling farther and deeper with our international partners, designed to transform existing global partnerships into catalysts for new high-impact experiential learning.

Click on the viewbook above to access our resources on the go! 

Ways to Engage

For the best GPS Institute experience, follow the sequence of events outlined below. For events with an asterisk (*), please RSVP using the link below.

1) Partner Presentations*

Monday, Oct. 1, 3 p.m. | 145 Student Union

This open session will feature partner presentations that provide context and a framework for engagement and collaboration throughout the Institute and beyond. Audience Q&A is encouraged. 

2) Meet our Partners*

Monday, Oct. 1, 5 p.m. | 145 Student Union

Learn about our honored guests and explore their backgrounds, affiliations and areas of focus at the opening reception immediately following the partner presentations.

3) Pedagogical Innovation Session*

Tuesday, Oct. 2, 9-11 a.m. | 17 Norton Hall

Learn more about GPS platforms and resources for igniting global partnerships, deepening collaborative relationships, sharing innovations with broader communities and more.

4) Studio Sessions*

Monday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. | 17 Norton Hall

Thursday, Oct. 4, 9-11 a.m. | 17 Norton Hall

Identify and meet with partners of interest to discuss ideas for engagement and collaboration.

5) Submit an Idea for Collaboration

Submit your idea for collaboration to receive follow-up support offered by ELN staff and partnership sponsors.

6) Closing Reception*

Friday, Oct. 5, 4:30 p.m. | Silverman Library (3rd Floor Atrium)

Join us for a celebration of the emerging ideas for engagement and collaboration and help us wish our global partners farewell. 

Featured Partners

Tanzania

Since 2009, members of the UB community, under the leadership of Dr. Mara Huber, have been visiting the Mara Region of Tanzania to engage around education, health, economics and infrastructure. Current engagement projects focus on social innovation related to girls’ empowerment and education, menstrual health, water and sanitation, and technology-supported professional development. Partners include Buhare Community Development Training Institute, as well as local nonprofits supporting women and girls in the region.

Gerald Noah

Gerald teaches law and human rights at the Buhare Community Development Training Institute in Tanzania, a public academic institution offering community development courses. He serves as the liaison for UB collaboration, a role that emerged from meeting students and representatives from UB in January 2016. As a result, engagement with UB partners has opened doors to collaboration between his own organization and other local community development partners in the Mara Region, leading to direct benefits for the region.

Ghana

The School of Management, under the leadership of Dr. Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, is excited to launch new programming in partnership with University of Cape Coast and the Global Center for Leadership and Social Innovation (GCLSI). Focusing on leadership development and entrepreneurship, UB students have already participated in short-term study abroad experiences while engaging in service and exploring culture. As the partnership continues to evolve, new opportunities to engage faculty and students around social innovation are currently underway. 

Michael Boakye-Yiadom

Michael is a research fellow at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana. He has a strong interest in leadership development and empowerment, which is one reason why his partnership with UB’s Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah has been so fruitful. Their UB-UCC Leadership Empowerment Program started in June 2017 with 25 graduate students who celebrated their graduation from the program in June 2018.

Prince Oduro

Prince is Executive Director of African Rights Initiative International, an organization partnering with the University at Buffalo’s Global Center for Leadership and Social Innovation, which was established in Accra, Ghana, in July 2018. The partnership will develop new capabilities to address challenges in the region.

Zimbabwe

The University at Buffalo/University of Zimbabwe (UB-UZ) initiative addresses clinical research and training needs through the UB-UZ HIV Research Training Program, which is expanding the capacity for clinical research in Zimbabwe, resulting in well-trained investigators who contribute to, and participate in, multidisciplinary project teams. UB’s globally recognized HIV pharmacology research programs also offer training in drug development, antiretroviral therapeutics and medication management, patient education, and opportunities for applied clinical pharmacology research through multidisciplinary research teams. 

Charles Maponga

Charles holds a visiting faculty position with the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. He travels frequently between UB and the University of Zimbabwe while coordinating the activities of an international collaborative program, the International Pharmacotherapy Education and Research Initiative. Professor Maponga is the University of Zimbabwe’s principal investigator for the NIH Fogarty International Center HIV Research Training program. He works to implement a postgraduate and postdoctoral training initiative between the two universities with an emphasis on HIV clinical pharmacology.

Jamaica

The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Jamaica Ministry of Health have collaborated with UB’s Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences (CIGBS) to establish the Jamaica Center for Infectious Diseases Research. It will start as a national center with operations based at the UWI Mona Campus, eventually becoming a shared program for the Caribbean region through the inclusion of 16 additional countries. The center will train scientists and use the UWI network to build capacity throughout the region, continuing the work of the Emerging Virus Unit, which was created in response to the outbreaks of Zika virus, Chikungunya virus and Dengue fever.

Maxine Gossell-Williams

Maxine teaches and mentors research students in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies. One of her proudest achievements is the development of the MSc Biomedical Research program, which better prepares students to enter PhD programs through components that strengthen their knowledge base and ability to develop interdisciplinary approaches to innovative research. 

John Lindo

John is a consultant parasitologist at the University Hospital of West Indies and co-chair of the SUNY-University of the West Indies Faculty Task Force for Health Research Development. His research has focused on the epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminths and emerging infectious diseases. This includes the epidemiology of strongyloides stercoralis infections and toxocariasis, the emergence of malaria and angiostrongylus cantonensis infections in Jamaica, epidemiology of free-living amoebae in Jamaica and opportunistic parasitic infections in persons living with HIV/AIDS.