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CHP faculty share knowledge across globe Associate dean asked to evaluate foreign schools by Kathy J. Gatten College of Health Professions He traveled halfway around the world and found a country that shares America's concerns: quality health care and quality education.  Jerry L. Blackwell, DHA, associate dean for student affairs in the College of Health Professions, has made four trips to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since November 2001. On each trip to this exotic land, he has shared his expertise and learned some valuable lessons as well. When His Excellency, the minister of higher education, Sheik Nahyan set about to improve his country's higher education system, he chose former president of South Carolina's Lander University and expert on accreditation policies, Dr. Bill Moran, to head up the project. The directive: bring in teams of American academics to review and make recommendations for every school in the UAE. When it came time to look at the health professions, Moran looked to Blackwell. In the UAE, Blackwell found a wealthy pro-Western country with a lot of resources. Tuitions are high, but the population, rich from oil, gas, and banking, can easily afford higher education. The colleges have excellent facilities and equipment. So, the challenges they face are different than those in the United States.  “The health professions are in their infancy there, particularly physical therapy, which has not yet been embraced by physicians and the general population. Their health administration curricula is more progressive, but still not current with recent health care delivery issues,” Blackwell said. On each trip, Blackwell visited schools and made specific recommendations for the development of UAE's programs. But in addition to sharing his knowledge, he has learned some things as well.  “I learned that good health care education always has to take into consideration the culture in which it operates,” he said. “The trips also have given me a chance to reflect on what being an American is all about, how fortunate we are, how pervasive our culture is.”  With all the financial resources available to the people of the UAE, they still look to the United States as the gold standard for education, he said.     Perfusionist takes talents to Ukraine by Kathy D. Shanahan College of Health Professions  College of Health Professions' Mindy Blackwell extended the college's outreach to western Ukraine last May when she joined a seven-member team of Children's Heartlink on a medical aid trip. Children's Heartlink was founded in Minneapolis in 1969 to improve the prevention and treatment of children's heart disease in developing countries.  As the medical team's perfusionist, Blackwell, with two others from MUSC, partnered with their host medical team at L’viv Cardiovascular Surgery Center in performing 10 heart surgeries on children ranging in age from 6 months to 18 years.  The Ukrainians either performed the medical procedures while the visiting team looked on, or watched as the visitors performed the procedures. After each case, there was a grand rounds discussion to complete the learning experience. “I was most proud that we were able to teach the local staff the importance of family intervention and help,” Blackwell remembers. “We allowed families to visit patients after the surgery and to have follow-up visits. Historically, the families would have to wait—sometimes for days—to learn the surgical outcomes of their loved ones.” “I was amazed at what the local medical staff could accomplish with little or no resources,” Blackwell said. “I especially enjoyed teaching and the relationships that were developed between the teams. I'm not sure who came away more changed from the experience,” she adds.  She will rejoin the team for their 2003 trip, she said.     Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.