International Collaborating Partners 

University of Illinois at Chicago
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile 
Peking University Health Sciences Center
Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia
Universitas Indonesia (University of Indonesia - UI)
University of Malawi

United States
Judith A. Levy, PhD, AITRP Program Director 
Kathleen F. Norr, PhD, AITRP Co-Director

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) 
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) was founded in 1967 as a State University and a Land Grant Institution with the major mission of research, teaching and public service. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is the largest institution of higher learning in the Chicago area with approximately 25,000 students (approximately 65 percent undergraduate, 34 percent graduate and professional degree students) and 3,600 faculty. The UIC campus is comprised of more than seventy buildings on approximately 187 acres. It is located just west of Chicago’s downtown in an area that includes the West Side Medical Center District, the world’s largest concentration of advanced public and private health care facilities. UIC is one of the top seventy research universities in the United States. UIC offers more graduate study in dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and public health than any other health education institution in the nation. Research has a high priority within the university community. 

UIC School of Public Health
Established in 1971, the UIC School of Public Health (SPH) is the only institution of its kind in Illinois and one of only 49 such schools in the country. The SPH was fully accredited in 1985 by the Council on Education for Public Health, and provides curricula leading to four graduate degrees: Master of Public Health, Master of Science, Doctor of Public Health, and Doctor of Philosophy. The SPH also offers a combined MD-MPH program. Physicians in various preventive medicine and occupational medicine residency programs at the University of Illinois Hospital or Cook County Hospital can concurrently obtain MPH degrees from the UIC SPH.

The SPH has over 80 faculty members. The faculty is multi-disciplinary and has extensive interactions with other UIC academic units. A number of other UIC academic units utilize SPH courses and faculty resources with health-related graduate-level degree programs. Examples include the teaching of epidemiology or biostatistics to medical students, public health nurses (in the College of Nursing), and community psychology students. Extensive collaboration in research and training occurs between UIC SPH researchers and researchers from several other UIC academic units such as the Department of Medical Education (DME) Medical Humanities Program and The Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center. These existing relationships, together with continuing collaborative relationships with the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health and several important HIV-related community organizations provide a solid foundation for the community-based research. The UIC SPH has four divisions: Community Health Sciences, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Health Policy and Administration. 

UIC College of Nursing 
The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing is a nationally recognized research institution, ranked 6th in the country and 6th by The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) for extramural awards to nursing schools in 1996. It is one of the 23 Colleges of Nursing nationally to be recognized by the NINR as having a research-intensive environment. The main College is located in downtown Chicago, with regional sites in Champaign-Urbana, the Quad Cities, Rockford, and Peoria. The College is organized into the Departments of Medical-Surgical Nursing; Maternal-Child Nursing; and Public Health, Mental Health, and Administrative Nursing. The College offers academic programs leading to BSN, MS, and PhD degrees. The College’s main building is in an 11-story structure, completed in 1969, which provides teaching-learning facilities, offices, and labs for faculty and students. 

The College offers both a generic baccalaureate program and a RN/BSN program for registered nurses. The goal of baccalaureate education in nursing at the College is to prepare generalists to function in a variety of settings. As one of the top ranked graduate programs in the country, the College fosters intellectual growth and professional excellence through a variety of graduate programs. The College of  Nursing through the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Chicago offers the Masters of Science in Nursing Sciences and the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Sciences degrees. The masters program prepares nurses for advanced practice roles as clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners. A variety of concentrations are offered through the college’s three departments. Focusing on the development of independent nurse researchers, the PhD program emphasizes empirical research and theory development. 

Chile
Lilian Ferrer, PhD, RN, UIC AITRP Country Coordinator for Chile

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, located in Santiago, has over 22,000 students. This is one of the two research universities in Chile, and has the strongest university-level nursing program in the country. The School of Nursing is part of the Faculty of Medicine. 

The School of Nursing enrolls 100 new students a year. Currently, 550 students are in a five-year program leading to the title of Nurse Midwife/Professional Nurse. About 20 nurses or midwives are in a complementary undergraduate program to become a Nurse-Midwife. About 20 nurses are enrolled in a one-year specialization program, which offers 13 different areas of emphasis

All of its 49 faculty members are university-educated. The majority of them are nurses and Nurse-Midwives. Two of them hold a doctorate in nursing, 21 with Master’s degree from various disciplines, and the rest with clinical specialties. Currently, two of its faculty members are pursuing graduate degrees at UIC (one in the PhD program in the College of  Nursing and the other in the PhD Program in the School of Public Health). The faculty members have published many articles in professional journals of the region and are becoming more research-productive. Over the last 10 years, the Kellogg Foundation has made a major commitment to support the School to strengthen its educational and research activities. 

From 1983 to 1994, the School was privileged with Kellogg funded projects through which it has developed creative teaching-service integration strategies with the Catholic University Medical Center, and with the community health centers. Community based projects, which provide programs in areas of maternal child health, adults with chronic diseases, elderly, youth, lay health promoters, among others, have been implemented. These projects have had a positive impact on the undergraduate curriculum and have improved the quality of health care services. 

In 1990, the School of Nursing, co-sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, established the Regional Collaborating Center in Nursing (CERCOBE) for the Regional Library of Medicine (BIREME/PAHO/WHO). The purpose of this project is to incorporate updated nursing literature in the LILACS database of the Regional Medical Library. CERCOBE has incorporated 1,000 nursing titles in LILACS and disseminates conventional (books and periodicals) and non-conventional (gray literature) nursing literature in Spanish to Latin and Central American countries. 

China
Shunzhen Xiao, MD, UIC AITRP Country Coordinator for China (Nursing)
Peiyu Wang, PhD, UIC AITRP Country Coordinator for China (Public Health)

Peking University Health Science Center
Formed with the merger of Peking University and Beijing Medical University, the Peking University Health Science Center is one of China's largest and most esteemed medical centers. It is composed of the Graduate School, the School of Basic Medical Sciences, the School of Medicine, the School of Public Health, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Stomatology, the Faculty of Advanced Nursing, and two teaching divisions (humanity and foreign languages). The university also has 6 affiliated hospitals, 8 teaching hospitals, 19 research institutes, 11 research collaborating centers, one national laboratory, and 5 key laboratories recognized by the Ministry of Health.

Faculty of Advanced Nursing at Peking University Health Science Center

The Faculty of Nursing, founded in 1984, was among the first to restore advanced nursing education in the country. Following 5 years' of offering a Baccalaureate Degree Program, the State Education Committee, P.R.C. granted the Faculty of Nursing permission in 1990 to establish a Master’s program. Its graduates are now employed in key positions at different levels of China’s government and health care system. The Health School, once directly subordinated to Ministry of Health, can trace back its origin in 1915. The nurses and technicians graduated from the Nursing School have been in the frontline to protect people's health and serve various communities. School of Public Health at Peking University Health Science Center.
The School of Public Health consists of seven departments, a central laboratory, and the Institute of Child and Adolescent Health. Currently there are 151 staff members in the school including 29 professors and 28 associate professors including 9 doctoral supervisors. The School offers six masters and doctoral programs as well as a post-doctoral program in public health and medicine that attracts student’s form various disciplines. Currently, 59 doctoral, 183 masters, and 320 undergraduate students are enrolled (562 students). The School’s graduates work in many fields at home and abroad in the areas of preventive medicine, public health, health management, and medical education. The School ranks foremost in China in public health education and research. Over the last 10 years, it has received over 200 research grants from major funding sources including the Ministry of Health, the National Science Foundation, National Key Projects, national ministries and communities, and international research foundations.

Indonesia
Irwanto, PhD, UIC AITRP Country Coordinator for Indonesia (AJCU)
Agung Waluyo, PhD, UIC AITRP Country Coordinator for Indonesia (UI)

Atma Jaya Catholic University
Founded in 1960 in the belief that education is the key to a better life, Atma Jaya Catholic University (AJCU) of Indonesia is best known for its outstanding faculty members and research scientists. Its mostly-Indonesian student body totals 13,000 and its alumni are highly regarded for their knowledge and achievements in their respective fields. Atma Jaya offers fifteen baccalaureate degrees, four masters, and one doctoral degree. Faculty and students have access to up-to-date computer and video technology, a comprehensive library, lecture halls, and multi-purpose laboratories. Additionally, there are extracurricular programs that students can choose based on their needs and expertise.

The school consists of eight colleges (biologic sciences, economics, education, public administration, information technology, law, medicine, and psychology) spread across two campuses. The Semanggi campus, located in the heart of Jakarta, consists of fifteen buildings and serves as the main campus where most classes are held. The Pluit campus is smaller, consisting of four buildings. It is located in North Jakarta and serves as the home of the Faculty of Medicine and the University’s Academic Hospital. A new campus, which will be the university’s largest, is under current construction in the Tangerang District of Jakarta and will host all undergraduate programs when completed.

Despite being only half-century-old as an educational institution, all of Atma Jaya’s faculties have received national accreditation. The faculty of economics, medicine, psychology, and bio-technology are considered among the best in the country by professionals and students alike. Approximately 40% of the University’s faculty members hold Ph.D. and equivalent degrees from Indonesia as well as foreign universities (Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines, England, and the USA). Students and lecturers are actively involved in teaching-learning and research activities. The university receives outside funding of about US $ 2-6 million annually for research. Faculty from the schools of Medicine and Psychology are particularly active in HIV/AIDS studies. 

The strength of Atma Jaya Catholic University also lies in the fact that it is a senior member of the Association of the Indonesian Catholic Universities (AICU) which has 15 members situated as far as in Kupang (West Timor) to Makasar (South Sulawesi) and Pontianak (West Kalimantan/Borneo). This association shares resources, including professors and research centers, for collaborative academic undertakings. The AICU Research Network (ARN), for example, meets every year and hold a national seminar to share research conducted by those various universities. ARN provides opportunities for greater access and impacts of research carried out by its members.

Universitas Indonesia
Universitas Indonesia (UI) was founded in 1849 and is the oldest state-run university in Indonesia. UI has contributed to the sustainable development of the nation through education and research. UI offers 53 bachelor degree programs and numerous graduate programs in 12 Faculties, organized into three clusters of knowledge: science technology (Faculty of Mathematics & Natural Sciences, Engineering and Computer Science ), social sciences - humanities (Faculty of Economics, Law, Social Sciences Political Science, Psychology and Cultural Studies) and health sciences (Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Public Health). The university has over 400 professors and 3000 academic staff and serves more than 30,000 Indonesian and international students. 
UI is rich with degree options for local and international students, fostering their readiness to face global challenges. To further its global focus, UI has developed mutual partnerships with many reputable overseas universities, including the establishment of International Undergraduate Double Degree Programs, which enable the graduates to obtain two degree awards, one from UI and the other from the partner university. Students also have the opportunities to experience multi-cultural exposure by joining student exchange and study abroad programs to more 165 partner universities in 35 countries around the world.

Research at UI is fully supported by The Board of Trustees policy, which has developed a Roadmap for 2007-2010 that emphasizes multi-disciplinary research and  teaching with a focus on sustainable development, including national health UI’s partnership with the AITRP program at the University of Illinois at Chicago will further extend its international research capacity.

UI also participates in regional and international educational and research associations throughout Asia Pacific, Europe, and Southeast Asia. UI is a member of worldwide associations such as APRU (Association of Pacific Rim Universities), AUN (ASEAN University Network), and ASAIHL (Association of South East Asia Institution of Higher Learning). UI has members on the Board of Directors of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU).

UI’s educational and research facilities are located on two campuses, one in the central business in Jakarta (Salemba) and one in Depok (West Java). To support the teaching and learning process, University of Indonesia provides student hostels in both locations. The Depok campus is widely recognized for its green campus covering 320 hectares. UI maintains the ecology conservation by utilizing only 25 percent of area for academic, research and student activities and holds 75 percent for forestation.

Malawi
Chrissie Ndasochera Kaponda, PhD, RN, UIC AITRP Country Coordinator for Malawi

University of Malawi, Kamuzu College of Nursing 
The University of Malawi is located in Lilongwe, the capital and largest city in the country. Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) is one of the five constituent colleges of the University of Malawi. It has long been the leading college of nursing education for Malawi, and offers the only baccalaureate degree in nursing available in Malawi. 

The college also offers two Masters programs: one in midwifery sciences and the other in reproductive health. Both programs offer an HIV and AIDS module of instructions. Located in both Lilongwe and Blantyre, the two campuses have a capacity of 239 students and 41 members of academic and administrative staff. 

KCN’s mission is to deliver quality and cost effective nurse and midwifery education and other health related programmes to students and participants with the aim of promoting professional growth and contributing to the health status of the people of Malawi. Its focus is on total student and staff development, geared towards addressing ongoing health challenges and the emerging issues of the 21st century. The college currently trains approximately 55 BSN students per year plus an equal number or mature-entry (BSN completion) students. Students have a wide variety of clinical experiences, from remote health posts to the two leading general hospitals and the nation's only psychiatric facility. Graduates of KCN are the leading educators of enrolled nurses and administrators of health facilities throughout the nation. 

The college has five departments: basic studies and administration, maternal-child, medical-surgical, community-psychiatric nursing and clinical. It is composed of two campuses, one in the Capital City in Lilongwe and the other in the commercial city of Blantyre. The Lilongwe campus occupies 6.22 hectares of land with space for future expansion. The College buildings provide a large assembly hall, seminar rooms, staff offices, practical rooms and a small library with 23,000 volumes. Staff housing is provided in various areas within the Capital City. The second campus building is situated on Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital premises that consist of academic and student facilities such as lecture theatre, library, multipurpose laboratory, practical room, and seminar rooms and tutorial offices, hostel, and cafeteria. Staff housing is provided in various areas within the City of Blantyre.  The library houses over three thousand electronic journals.

The physical infrastructure at KCN is expanding greatly to meet the demands of nurses and midwives in the country. There are additional classroom spaces, a student’s hostel and faculty offices being constructed at Lilongwe campus. In Blantyre, a whole new complex is being constructed to allow additional intakes of students.