Transnational educational partnerships: achieving public health impact through cross-cultural pedagogical approaches in Haiti

As part of the growing movement of transnational educational partnerships, Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) partnered with the Université Publique du Nord au Cap-Haitïen (UPNCH) in January 2017 to launch the first undergraduate public health degree program in Haiti with the goal of increasing public health educational capacity in the country. In January 2018, WUSTL and UPNCH introduced the course Introduction to Public Health for the first cohort of public health students, offering the opportunity to practice and assess cross-cultural pedagogy as well as the engagement of students in relevant public health issues impacting Haiti. The goal of the partnership between WUSTL and UPNCH is to further public health education in Haiti, and to help create future public health leaders for the country. Through an assessment of the introductory course, the authors sought to gauge the impact of cross-cultural pedagogy and cooperative learning strategies in Haiti. In addition to describing the history and context of the partnership, this study used qualitative methods to assess student responses to the course through both observational data as well as student course evaluations. Thirty-two students completed course evaluations, providing insight into cross-cultural approaches as well as the effectiveness of collaborative pedagogy in Haiti. Despite challenges related to logistics and resources, students’ responses were overwhelmingly supportive of the course’s novel approach as well as the transnational partnership between WUSTL and UPNCH. Findings from this case example support existing research which claims successful approaches ensure cross-cultural pedagogy and bi-directional benefits via continual engagement between partners.