Wright State students travel to Tanzania as part of global health exchange

After participating in an online global health exchange, Wright State students traveled to Tanzania over winter break to engage with their peers and participate in hands-on clinical experiences.

As an extension of the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiative, Wright State University nursing, pre-med and public health students traveled to Tanzania over winter break to participate in hands-on clinical experiences.

Organized by the University Center for International Education and supported by Wright State’s Student First Fund, the COIL program connects students and professors in different countries virtually for collaborative projects and discussions.

The program included a virtual global health course exchange with the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Health Science (MUHAS) in Tanzania taught by Rosemary Eustace, Ph.D., professor of nursing at Wright State and a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow.

Taking the exchange one step further, Eustace and Sara Paton, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology and director of the Master of Public Health Program, led a group of 14 Wright State students to Tanzania to collaborate with peers from the Muhimbili University during clinical experiences in the country’s Bagamoyo District.

The students experienced first-hand the health care systems of Tanzania, including learning about the biomedical and traditional medicine models of care. They also were exposed to the social care systems at a local orphanage.

“These learning opportunities enabled students to transfer what they learned in class to the actual realities in practice and in the community,” said Eustace. “Students shared how they will use the lessons learned to promote personal growth, academic achievement and civic engagement in their own communities and beyond.”

Rebekah Oladokun, a psychology major with a pre-health concentration and a military science minor, said her participation in COIL and trip to Tanzania greatly enhanced her academic and personal growth.

“Through COIL, I learned about global health practices and gained insights into different health care systems,” she said. “My time in Tanzania furthered this knowledge, especially through visits to health care centers, traditional healers and talks from MUHAS professors. These experiences expanded my understanding of health care challenges and innovations, which will be important for my future career in medicine.”

The Columbus native, who lived in the West African nation of Togo from the ages of 3 to 6, also had the opportunity to observe a C-section and visit the U.S. Embassy where she and her classmates met U.S. Ambassador Michael Battle Sr.

Oladokun, who is expected to graduate in the fall of 2028, said she was drawn to Wright State because of its proximity to her home and the multitude of clubs and activities offered at the university.

“My Wright State experience has been great,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed the wide variety of extracurricular clubs and diverse events on campus. My advisors have been incredibly helpful in guiding me and helping me map out how to achieve my future goals.”

After graduating from Wright State, Oladokun plans to commission as a second lieutenant in the Ohio Army National Guard and attend medical school to become a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

Jacob Webb, a nursing student scheduled to graduate this May, said his Tanzanian sojourn was eye-opening.

“The trip has helped me understand how privileged and how we take things in our lives for granted in our country compared to Tanzania and it was humbling to me,” Webb said. “The experience will always be carried with me for the rest of my life, whether at home, in public or in a health care setting.”

A native of Tanzania, Eustace immigrated to the United States after winning a lottery through the U.S. Department of States Diversity Immigrant Visa program in 1999. She and her two sons joined her husband in the Miami Valley in 2005 after he accepted a tenure track position at the University of Dayton. She first worked at a local hospital as a staff nurse and then began her career at Wright State where she has been for 16 years.

“I love Wright State University,” she said. “The university has provided me with different professional lifelong learning opportunities that have enabled me to excel in teaching, research and service in my specialty area of family and community/public health nursing.”

The next COIL program will be held in the fall of 2025 followed by a field experience during winter break.

“As a global health educator, I would like to see more Wright State University faculty introduce COIL into their courses or programs,” she said. “This co-learning approach strengthens and enriches the future global workforce. I personally saw how impactful this can be from a mutually beneficial lens. We hope that more students take advantage of this life-changing experience.”

Learn more about Wright State’s study abroad program at studyabroad.wright.edu or by emailing studyabroad@wright.edu.