A group of medical students from Al-Imam University in Saudi Arabia are participating in the Global Health Institute Summer Research Training Program at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. For the first time in its four year history, all of the participating students are women.

The four-week program, which runs Aug 4-28, is designed to introduce students to the public health system in the U.S. and provides a foundation and understanding of translational and biomedical research currently underway in Arizona. Faculty from the UA College of Public Health are using a combination of hands-on experience, role model mentoring, collaboration and networking skills, to provide a supportive environment that maximizes the likelihood of success.

The students are completing research in clinical settings with some of the college’s long-standing community partners, including the Arizona Department of Health Services, Chicanos Por La Causa and Wesley Community Health Center in Phoenix and the Pima County Health Department and El Rio Community Health Center in Tucson.