UGA was one of two U.S. institutions selected to host the African Veterinary Science Faculty Exchange Program 2022-2023. The UGA’s interdisciplinary host team consists of the University of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Office of Global Engagement.
The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, is designed to help developing countries in Africa improve their agricultural education, research, and advisory programs at universities by offering one semester of training at U.S. land-grant agricultural universities.
“This award continues UGA’s success in creating multidisciplinary teams to learn from international peers and build capacity across Africa in critical development areas,” said Brian Watkins, director of international initiatives for the Office of Global Engagement.
During the exchange, African faculties will be matched with some of the UGA’s top researchers in agriculture and veterinary medicine for personal mentoring, teaching coaching and curriculum development. In addition, the faculty exchanges will expose the visiting lecturers to carefully selected site visits that will enhance their understanding of international trade and regulatory systems, animal health, clinical medicine, disease surveillance, and post-harvest food safety.
“CAES recognizes and estimates the impact of short-term training programs such as the Faculty Exchange Program in African Veterinary Science,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick Place. “Over the years, our faculty members have developed long-term and fruitful research collaborations with scientists who originally attended the UGA for short-term training. These collaborations have developed into partnerships from which students and teachers at both institutions benefit. “
After returning to their home countries, FAS Faculty Exchange participants will continue to develop the skills acquired in the program with ongoing support from their US mentors. In addition, each UGA mentor will attend a follow-up visit to the mentee’s home country to observe faculty innovations and provide subsequent support and advice to further consolidate the revisions and adjustments to the faculty’s teaching and research activities.
“We have always had a strong focus on global animal health and production and how to prepare the next generation of veterinarians to work in this field,” said Corrie Brown, senior researcher and Josiah Meigs and professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine. “This program will give our students and faculty even more opportunities to learn from their international colleagues and vice versa – it’s a win-win situation.”
The FAS faculty exchange program is expected to begin in spring 2022.