College of Public Health to host Libyan scholars

The UNMC College of Public Health is one of six institutions in the United States selected to participate in the 2013 Public Health cohort of Fulbright Visiting Scholars from Libya.

Eight scholars arrived July 7 and will study at UNMC until Sept. 14. The program is designed to bring junior Libyan scholars to U.S. host institutions for faculty development, mentoring and cultural exchange activities.

“We have a full curriculum planned for the scholars that will allow them to develop both their research as well as their public health curriculum development interests,” said Shawn Gibbs, Ph.D., associate dean for student affairs “We also feel that this will be an important cultural exchange between our two countries.”

The foundation for Libyan scholars and their U.S. hosts to develop long-term institutional relationships and to identify areas of cooperation that can be sustained beyond the grant period is fundamental to the program, he said.







“We have a full curriculum planned for the scholars that will allow them to develop both their research as well as their public health curriculum development interests.”



Shawn Gibbs, Ph.D.



Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, this program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, a division of the Institute of International Education.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

The Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants — chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.