Dozens of academics from across the Pacific Rim visited USC June 23-26 for the 2012 Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Program Workshop, organized by the USC Institute for Global Health.
The Association of Pacific Rim Universities is an initiative founded in 1997 by USC President Emeritus Steven B. Sample to capitalize on the emerging power and prominence of the Pacific Rim. It now comprises 42 Pacific Rim research universities located in 15 countries and fosters international collaboration among faculty, students and university leaders.
Last year, public health faculty at the University of Indonesia hosted “Finding and Communicating Solutions,” an APRU workshop in Jakarta that focused on global heath academics, media and public policy.
This year’s conference began with discussions on the group’s strategic plan as it charts activities for the next three years. Talks during the second day explored innovative global health teaching, featuring speakers from across the USC campus and Los Angeles, including USC Institute for Global Health Associate Director Heather Wipfli, USC Institute for Multimedia Literacy Associate Director Virginia Kuhn and Hollywood writer/producer and physician Neal Baer, known for the television shows Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and A Gifted Man.
Elizabeth Garrett, USC provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, kicked off the last day of the workshop, which featured a panel on research and policy translation for improving health, led by USC Program on Global Health & Human Rights Director Sofia Gruskin. The workshop concluded with panel discussions on partnerships and universities as health advocates.
