Columbia Nursing Students Go Global, Capturing Health in Motion

From global clinical learning to community excursions, capturing it all can be tough— but this year’s Global Fellows pulled it off with ease as part of the Global Student Clinical Program organized by the Office of Global Initiatives, Global Health Division. 

Forty-one Columbia University School of Nursing students traveled to nine countries this spring, gaining hands-on experience in health care delivery, exploring the effects of climate change on population health, and sharing lessons learned through posters, photos, and videos. This year’s sites included Brazil, the Dominican Republic, The Gambia, India, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Spain, and Zambia.   

Their experiences culminated in an event to mark their global learning experiences on July 18, 2025, with current and incoming cohorts, faculty, partners, and staff.  

Professor Jennifer Dohrn, DNP, opened by describing how students can channel their experiences into their own lives moving forward: 

“You each have been courageous in stepping into the unknown, a new country, a new culture, and different healthcare systems. These countries became your homes for six weeks...Now you have all these experiences to put inside of yourselves, to put into your skills, your heart, and your worldview as you go forward and become a nurse.” 

Following Dohrn's remarks, fellows shared stories of the people they met, the cultural practices they witnessed, and the challenges, successes, and opportunities they were presented with. 

"The two nurses we worked with at our site were just fantastic and really exemplified what a nurse should be. They understood the health system in a way that a lot of nurses aspire to be. What they said mattered and people listened to them. If they saw something, they would say it and nothing would intimidate them. They really cared about their patients,” said fellow Jordan Vogel on his experiences with classmates in India.  

Columbia Nursing staff also presented the winners of the Global Photo Competition and encouraged fellows to vote on the photo that would grace the cover of the 2026 Global Student Clinical Program calendar.     

Continue below to see this year's featured photos and click here to view posters describing nurses’ views on the relationship between climate change and population health at each site.

Brazil

Fellows reviewed protocol with Dr. Carolina Machado, director, at the Asthma Center (PROAR) in Salvador, Brazil.  

The Dominican Republic  

Fellows with Jeffrey Gonzalez, student program coordinator, and Mina Halpern Lozada, executive director, at La Clinica de Familia in La Romana, Dominican Republic.   

The Gambia 

Fellows on their way to clinical integration in Banjul, The Gambia.  

India 

Fellows with their clinical preceptors outside of a community primary health center where they assisted in taking blood pressure, blood glucose and electrocardiogram readings within the community of Panchgani, India.  

Italy 

Fellows with University of Torino faculty, Dr. Liliana Vagliano, partners, and team in front of the Ospedale Regina Margherita in Torino, Italy. 

Jamaica 

Fellows with Donnahae Rhoden-Salmon, faculty and clinical preceptor, at the University of West Indies, School of Nursing in Kingston, Jamaica.  

Jordan 

Fellows at the Jordanian Flag Day event at the University of Jordan, Amman.  

Spain 

Fellow (center) with clinical preceptor and Clinica Universidad de Navarra nursing colleagues on her last day of global clinical integration in Pamplona, Spain.  

Zambia 

Fellows and University of Zambia students practice their caretaking skills on a baby simulator outside of the university’s teaching hospitals.