Dr. Shannon McMorrow awarded Haenicke Institute grant to enhance global public health education

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Dr. Shannon McMorrow, associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs and 2012 graduate of the Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program has been awarded a Haenicke Institute for Global Education - Global Classrooms Collaborative for Spring 2025, which involves two key components. First, she would undergo training throughout the semester to master the best practices for facilitating a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) experience. This innovative approach to international education, which had gained traction over the past two decades, was something she was eager to delve into. The second part of the grant would see her implementing the COIL in her undergraduate global public health course in the fall of 2025. This project would not only enhance McMorrow's skills but also profoundly impact her students. 

Dr. McMorrow commented, “I am looking forward to this so much! First, to deepen my knowledge and skills in international education by learning to facilitate a COIL. This is an innovative and relatively new tool being used in international education. I am also excited to continue my partnership with colleagues at Makerere University in Uganda, where I served as a Fulbright Scholar in 2022-2023. But most of all, I am thrilled about the learning and 'ah ha!' moments that both WMU and Makerere students will experience when working together on global public health issues." 

Her goals for her students were clear and ambitious. She wanted them to build cross-cultural learning, communication and collaboration skills. Additionally, she aimed to strengthen their core knowledge and skills in public health, enabling them to view public health problems globally and analyze the structural and environmental determinants leading to these issues in any setting around the world. 

Dr. McMorrow's journey to this point had been shaped by her own experiences at WMU. She had completed her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences with a cognate in Global Health in 2012. Her dissertation, which focused on the sociocultural analysis of news coverage of HIV to inform health education, had been a significant milestone in her academic career. "I had a great experience with breadth and depth of training not only in research but also in teaching and policy, which are core foundations of the health sciences," she recalled. "The interdisciplinary nature of the program, along with the freedom to deepen my expertise in global health, set me on the path my career has taken."