IIE, UAlbany Convene Workshop on U.S.–Iran Academic Partnerships in Public Health and the Medical Sciences

NEW YORK (May 13, 2015) -- In support of increasing academic ties between the United States and Iran, the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the University at Albany have convened a one-day workshop on May 13 to facilitate groundbreaking higher education dialogue between the two countries. The workshop provides a critical opportunity for academics and administrators in the public health and medical sciences to explore one another’s academic contexts, exchange perspectives about these fields, and discuss potential areas of collaboration, as part of the IIE Center for International Partnership’s broader Iran Initiative.

UAlbany President Robert J. Jones, right, welcomes delegation members from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and the Tehran University of Medical Sciences to New York for a workshop on academic partnerships.

Two chancellors from Iran’s premier medical universities are traveling to the United States for a week-long visit at the invitation of UAlbany President Robert J. Jones, and the U.S. Iran Partnership Workshop event will bring them together with U.S. campuses interested in exploring or expanding academic partnerships. The initiative is supported by UAlbany's International Academic Program (IAP), which advances university-level collaborations with institutions throughout the Middle East.

The conference is designed to address research collaboration perspectives between Iran and the United States. The event will also advance the discussion on the potential for partnerships and collaboration between the higher education institutions.

Along with U.S. higher education representatives, distinguished attendees and speakers include:

• Dr. Gholamreza Asghari, Chancellor, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
• Dr. Ali Jafarian, Chancellor, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
• Dr. Allan E. Goodman, President & CEO, Institute of International Education
• Dr. Robert J. Jones, President, University at Albany, State University of New York
• Dr. Arash Alaei, Clinical Associate Professor, University at Albany
• Dr. Kamiar Alaei, Dr. Kamiar Alaei, Public Service Professor, University at Albany
• Dr. Asghar Rastegar, Professor of Medicine, Director, Office of Global Health at Yale Medical School

The goal is to share resources and knowledge that will bring higher education institutions in the U.S. and Iran closer together, ultimately to enrich the academic experiences of students, faculty, staff, and administrators from both countries.

According to IIE’s 2014 Open Doors Report, in 2013/14 there were 10,194 Iranian students at U.S. colleges and universities, and Iran is the twelfth leading country to send international students to the U.S. Meanwhile, no U.S. higher education institutions report that their U.S. students are studying abroad in Iran.

The delegation will conclude in Albany, where the visiting chancellors and President Jones will advance a Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.) between the Iranian universities and UAlbany.

About IIE’s Center for International Partnerships

The IIE Center for International Partnerships in Higher Education assists higher education institutions in developing and sustaining partnerships around the world IIE launched the International Academic Partnership Program (IAPP) in 2009 to help colleges develop the partnership component of their strategic plans for internationalization. IIE has led delegations to Brazil, China, India, Vietnam, and Myanmar in the past few years. Recent IAPP initiatives include an international partnership program with the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU), which seeks to increase the number of international partnerships between higher education institutions in the U.S. and in Norway.

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