Stempel College has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Universidad de Cartagena to collaborate on educational and research endeavors. The partnership builds upon the college’s efforts to create strong bonds with research institutions throughout Latin America and, particularly, Colombia.
“Forming alliances with universities such as Universidad de Cartagena gives Stempel College the opportunity to expand our educational and research capabilities,” said Dean Tomás R. Guilarte. “Thanks to the warm welcome by Universidad de Cartagena President Edgar Parra Chacón, we have already met with several members of the university, and we know that this partnership will lead to exciting new ventures, including a physical presence.”
As part of the trip to Cartagena, Guilarte also participated in XVI Congreso Gobernar Salud 2019, a health conference sponsored by the Colombian Ministry of Health. At the conference, Guilarte was joined by the college’s Global Health Consortium Director Carlos Espinal and Piero Gardinali from FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education.
At the conference, Guilarte spoke about the relationship between the environment and degenerative diseases, highlighting how toxins that we are exposed to in our daily lives affect the brain.
Gardinalli, a professor within the department of chemistry and biochemistry, gave a presentation on the analysis of toxic metals in the environment, which included techniques on how to monitor the contamination and intervention methods.
The conference concluded with a roundtable discussion moderated by Espinal about the importance of collaboration in research in order to take action to solve public health and environmental issues.
“It is incredibly important that, as researchers, we are given the opportunity to exchange information and find new solutions to current public and global health issues,” Espinal said. “By gathering with colleagues from different sectors of the health field – we can learn from each other’s perspectives to make changes and improve health.”
