This program was first offered in January 2006, in collaboration with the UAB English Language and Culture Institute. A group of 15 nursing faculty representing several different nursing schools in Chile, came to UAB for 1 month to participate in seminars and clinical visits hosted by a variety of UAB faculty, and they also studied English at the English Language and Culture Institute (ELCI). We plan to expand this program and offer it each year or every other year, to nurses throughout the globe. During the one-month leadership program, participants will develop an idea for a project that would improve child and family health in their countries, in collaboration with a mentor at UAB. In addition, participants will study English at the ELCI and participate in seminars and clinical site visits. During the year after completing the program, participants would continue to work with their mentors (using Internet or email technology for communication), and would implement and evaluate the projects that they developed during the program.

Chilean Nursing Faculty who participated in Leadership Development Program at the UABSON, as speakers for a meeting of STTI, Nu chapter, January 2006




International Nurses and UABSON Students Participating in International Nursing Leadership Institute January 2008

In January, 2008, the program was offered again as an International Nursing Leadership Institute, and we have plans to offer this program every other year, so watch for further details soon about the July 2012 program. In 2008, a total of 18 nurses participated in the Institute from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Honduras. A new feature of the program for 2008 was the development of collaborative projects to address family or child health needs in the participants' home countries. Each program participant was paired with a School of Nursing faculty member to begin work on development of these collaborative projects which will be implemented in the year following the program. Projects are focused on topics such as childhood nutrition, integrated management of childhood illness, developing education about children's play in pediatric acute care settings, addressing the problem of family violence, care for diabetic patients, and care for the elderly and their caregivers. A second new feature in 2008 was offering a course on "Global Perspectives on Nursing Leadership" that was co-taught by Dr. Lynda Harrison (now Dr. Lynda Wilson) and Lic. Reina Lidylia Grogan, Director of the School of Nursing at the University of Honduras. This course was offered both to the international nurses as well as to UABSON undergraduate and graduate students as an elective course. 

An article featuring our International Nursing Leadership Institute has been posted on the web page of the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health (NIGH). Please click here see the article in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

In 2010 the program was expanded to include 12 nurses from Zambia and 13 nurses from Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras and Peru.  The program was also linked with the Summer Institute on Global Public Health Leadership offered by the Sparkman Center for Global Health.  An article about the 2010 program was published in The Birmingham News. 

The next International Leadership Program will be offered in July 2012.  For further information please contact Dr. Karen McCarty at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .