UTEP CHS Goes Global – Dean Invited as Scholar in Residence in South Africa
This story is the first in a series to be published this summer on the College of Health Sciences webpage related to the international teaching, learning and service activities of Health Sciences faculty and students.
UTEP College of Health Sciences Dean Shafik Dharamsi, Ph.D., served as a Scholar in Residence at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Faculty of Health Sciences in Johannesburg, South Africa, from May 19-26.
Commonly known as Wits, the University of Witwatersrand consists of five faculties: health sciences; commerce; law and management; engineering and the built environment; and humanities and science.
Dharamsi delivered the keynote address, “Shifting power: Examining Health Science Education as a Determinant of Health Outcomes,” at the university’s 9th Annual Teaching and Learning Symposium in the Health Sciences.
He also presented a public lecture titled, “Conscience and Compassion: Meaningful Integration of the Humanities in Health Science Education.”
Dharamsi led several seminars with faculty members and students from different health disciplines on topics such as interprofessional education, engaged scholarship and interdisciplinary research, curriculum design and the scholarship of teaching and learning, and social accountability and global health inequities.
He also discussed opportunities for possible research collaborations between UTEP and Wits.
Dharamsi is an internationally recognized scholar in social accountability and global health ethics, and is the principal investigator for the “Ethics of International Engagement and Service Learning Project.” In 2011, the EIESL team published the Global Praxis: Exploring the Ethics of Engagement Abroad (http://ethicsofisl.ubc.ca/downloads/_2011-EIESL-kit-loRes.pdf), an educational resource kit for academicians seeking to incorporate international engagement into their curriculum.
Since joining UTEP in 2017, Dharamsi has been facilitating conversations on the development of a Global Institute for Border Studies, a worldwide initiative that would provide a trans-national and trans-sectoral platform toward a collaborative effort to study and respond to the range of interconnected issues related to borders. Borders – broadly defined to include all lines that divide, whether territorial, political, ideological, social, economic, or cultural – create conflicts, dysfunctions, and inequities that impact quality of life. What is needed is a platform that convenes a global network of thoughtful generational leaders across the spectrum of society to foster opportunities for exchange and dialogue that will enhance our collective understanding and response to border issues.
Dharamsi explains that, “The idea for the Global Institute was inspired by UTEP’s rich history and experience working with the world’s largest bi-national metropolitan population. We can capitalize on these strengths and use them as a catalyst for the establishment of a Global Institute for Border Studies, which will address the range of interconnected issues related to borders.”