UWINTERNATIONAL - Wisconsin Alumni Association

UW INTERNATIONAL Alumni
For the UW’s
Global Network of
and Friends
Spring 2006 • 650 North Lake Street • Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1476 • Phone + (608) 262-2551 • Fax + (608) 262-3332 • http://www.uwalumni.com
News from UW-Madison
Building a Home for Global Health
at UW-Madison
In our increasingly interconnected
world, there is an urgent need for
physicians, nurses, pharmacists, veterinarians,
public health practitioners
and experts from other fields to work
together to address health issues.
Whether investigating animal-human
links in new bacterial and viral diseases
or developing interdisciplinary
models that enable communities to
take the lead in addressing health
priorities, health professionals can be
more effective when they combine
their scientific knowledge and skills
with a deeper awareness of culture,
language and society.
Connecting. Enriching. Serving.
An Ecuadorian indigenous healer talks with UW students and
health sciences faculty about her herbal medicines.
On October 24, 2005, deans of the
UW-Madison health sciences schools
and international studies announced
the formation of a new Center for
Global Health (CGH). The center is
a joint initiative of the Division of
International Studies and the schools
of Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine
and Public Health and Veterinary
Medicine. It is believed to be one of
the few centers for global health in
which multiple health science schools
and an international studies unit
on a single campus have united to
advance global health.
Continued on page 3

What’s Up
Dear Badger Alumni,
The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) is an international
alliance of world-class universities designed to foster
collaborative research and teaching in interdisciplinary areas
of global significance. In 2006, UW-Madison is engaged in
more than a dozen multiple-site projects on topics that range
from bench science to field science to social science to the
humanities. It is my pleasure to inform you that Chancellor
John Wiley MS’65, PhD’68 will be in the United Kingdom in late May to not
only attend the annual board meeting of WUN but also to meet with UW-
Madison alumni in the area. Alumni are invited to gather with the chancellor,
his wife Georgia, Dean of International Studies Gilles Bousquet, Vice President
Karen Crossley of the UW Foundation, other friends and myself at a reception
in London, on Friday, May 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, see
uwalumni.com/international. It will be my great pleasure to see you there!
Kind regards,
Paula Bonner MS’78
President/CEO
Wisconsin Alumni Association
2
Chancellor Visit to the United Kingdom
In late May, Chancellor John Wiley, his
wife Georgia, and Dean of International
Studies Gilles Bousquet will visit the
University of Leeds, the University
of Manchester and the University
of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.
They are all enthusiastic partners with
UW-Madison in international research
and teaching. The occasion for these
visits is the annual board meeting of
the Worldwide Universities Network
(WUN), a group of 16 institutions in
Europe, China and the USA. Wiley is a
member of the board.
On May 26, the heads of the WUN
universities will gather in London to
discuss issues such as expansion of
the membership to Africa, strategies
for collaborating internationally on
research and teaching, and best
practices for internationalizing
education on each campus. At Leeds,
Wiley will meet leaders of an emerging
international network of researchers on
colonial and post-colonial migrations,
in which eight Madison faculty are
active. At Manchester, he will review
the UW’s research partnership in East
Asian studies and human geography,
and at Sheffield he will tour the Center
for Stem Cell Biology and the new
Humanities Research Institute. The
week will culminate with a reception
on May 26, when Chancellor Wiley
will share his experiences at an alumni
reception.

Global Health continued from page 1.
The center promotes interdisciplinary
education, research and partnerships
for global health. Through these efforts
the center will enhance the capacity of
health professionals to address issues
that transcend national boundaries and
to better serve the increasingly diverse
populations of Wisconsin.
Recognizing the need to take education
beyond the classroom, the Center
for Global Health promotes innovative
field-based courses, such as Language,
Culture and Community Health in
Ecuador, in which students go to rural
Ecuador for six weeks to learn Spanish,
anthropology and principles of traditional
and western medicine, or Health
and Disease in Uganda, in which students
study the impact of such problems as
infectious disease, AIDS and malnutrition
in the setting in which they
occur. Students and faculty return profoundly
moved by these experiences.
Currently, the development of courses
in Thailand, Mexico and other sites
is under way. Further, the center has
developed a Global Health Certificate
program that will be offered at UW-
Madison beginning in the fall of 2006.
The program offers an academic core,
mentorship and a global health field
experience. It will be open to graduate
students and mid-career professionals
in health-related fields.
News from UW-Madison
(Above left) Dr. Cindy Haq (left), Director of the UW-Madison Center for Global Health, spent a semester advising and
teaching in Uganda in spring of 2005. (Above right) Professor Chris Olsen of the School of Veterinary Medicine is part of
the interdisciplinary team that teaches a course on culture and community health in Ecuador.
Opportunities for Alumni
Involvement
There are many opportunities for
alumni to get involved in the work of
the center. Those with global health
expertise are encouraged to contact
the center about opportunities to collaborate
in field activities and provide
mentorship to UW students, while
those wishing to develop expertise can
participate in the Capstone Certificate
in Global Health. Alumni can also register
as Global Health Affiliates. Affiliates
receive notification about seminars of
interest and the annual global health
symposium, and they strengthen the
growing UW global health network
through their participation. For more
information, visit pophealth.wisc.edu/gh.
3

An International
At the beginning of fall 2005, the University of Wisconsin-Madison International Student Services
sponsored an International Student Essay Contest. International students were asked to talk
about their journey to the United States and UW-Madison. Some 26 essays were submitted, and
although it was a difficult decision, four essays were chosen as the top entries. WAA was proud
to be involved in the contest, and in this edition introduces you to the first place winner, Nicolai
Ellehuus, and the fourth place winner, Jessica Maitte. Excerpts from their essays are included.
The second and third place winners will be introduced in the fall 2006 International Newsletter.
First Place: Nicolai Ellehuus
Semester of free textbooks or a $100 gift certificate donated by
The University Bookstore
Nicolai Ellehuus, a student in the Law School, has come to
Madison from Copenhagen, Denmark. He arrived here as an
exchange student in August 2005 and will return
home after the spring 2006 semester.
4
When you start to live in a different
country there are many hurdles to pass.
Fun is not exactly a word I would use,
necessity is better, but the best word is
probably intercultural understanding.
There is no better way to understand
a country than to live there, talk to
the people and go through the same
bureaucratic steps as everybody else! I
spent four full days looking for a cellphone
provider, one who did not need a
Social Security Number or a $500 deposit
in its stead. This magical, nine-digit
Social Security Number seems to be the
password to the American system.
The long, tiring days in the beginning
are soon replaced by fun and inspiring
days, such as the first class days at
the UW. Surrounded by some 40,000
students during inter-class periods on
Library Mall, your breath is taken away.
If that doesn’t do the trick, how about
80,000 people
at Camp
Randall for a
Badger football game
It’s not just the grand experiences
that count. One of my most treasured
memories is with a construction worker
on campus. Coming from a country
like Denmark, where you only say
hi and how are you to your close
friends, it is definitely a culture clash
to walk around Madison, where people
you pass on the street greet you as a
friend. One day I was biking from the
Natatorium towards Bascom Hill, passing
through some road construction,
and as I passed a construction worker,
he looked up and said, “Hey, how ya’
doin’” To feel such openness from a
complete stranger is something very
foreign to me. These small, everyday
life experiences make me call Madison
and the UW home.

Student
Perspective
Fourth Place: Jessica Maitte
USA Guidebook
Jessica Maitte is from Paris, France, and is
studying business. She spent the fall 2005
semester in Madison as an exchange student
and has returned home, although she says
she would have enjoyed staying longer.
Welcome to Madison! On a sunny and
busy Saturday afternoon, two French
girls get off the VanGalder bus. My best
friend and I were each carrying over
ninety pounds of luggage. The desire
to study in the U.S. was my motivation
to work hard and to be accepted to the
exchange program. Here I was, standing
in front of the Memorial Union, trying to
figure out how to get to my new home.
My roommate and I managed to weave
our way through the crowd on State
Street, not an easy task since our luggage
was heavy with clothes for the harsh
Wisconsin winters. We finally arrived
at the International Coop House where
we live with 26 people from all over
the world.
Cooking is important to me, and being
one of the cooks at the Coop, I often
happen upon things that would not
usually be seen in France. There are so
many varieties of peanut butter, but
I’ve come to love Jif. I often make a
quick peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich
as I rush off to class, which brings up
another cultural difference. Teachers
are not used to students coming to class
ten minutes late only to take a seat and
finish off their nights rest. We were
told there would be lots to read before
class. What we were told was true, and
we often headed to one of the college
libraries to study. I hope this semester at
UW-Madison is only the first step of my
cultural introduction to the U.S.

Student Perspectives
Focus on an International
PhD Candidate
Joe Brewoo’s research takes him to the cellular level of
living organisms, where he can see how diseases spread
and how our bodies react to them.
Imagine coming to a different country
for the first time and enrolling in
an unfamiliar university system. In
September 1997, Joe Brewoo MS’00
came to the United States for the first
time to pursue studies at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. He came from
his native Ghana where he received
his first degree at the University of
Science and Technology in the ancient
city of Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti
Kingdom. He went to Accra, Ghana’s
capital and largest city, to begin his
quest into scientific research at the
Animal Research Institute. Knowing
he wanted to pursue his education,
he started researching universities.
Wisconsin was not his first choice.
Indeed, a school in the Midwestern
United States is not a highly known
commodity in Ghana. As he furthered
his investigation, he happened to run
across the fact that UW-Madison was
very strong in animal health and the
biomedical sciences. While requesting
the necessary documentation for his
upcoming adventure, he discovered
that the Animal Research Institute’s
director and his boss, Walter Alhassan
MS’69, was an alumnus of UW-
Madison. The die was cast.
Upon his arrival in Madison, Brewoo
found things to be on the quiet side.
“All the better to study,” he says.
However, signing up for credit classes
was a new concept to him. The educational
system he was used to emphasized
research at the graduate level, not
classwork for credit. He persisted and
in 2000 received his master’s degree in
veterinary science.
Brewoo began to develop his interest
in science at an early age in Ghana.
While he could have studied to become
a medical doctor, he chose research
instead. “I want to find out how the
diseases start in the first place and then
make recommendations to the doctor
on what to use,” says Brewoo. In
May 2006, he will receive his PhD in
viral immunology. Research is his passion,
and he will most likely pursue
some postdoctoral work. As he says,
“Whatever you try to solve, it keeps
coming back!”
Has he been happy with his decision
“Yes,” he says, “UW-Madison is a top
notch school.” Winters are cold, but
Brewoo and his wife Lucy, along with
their five children, have lived their
life fully and happily these past
several years.
6

I-Exchange: An E-mail
Conversation
About two years ago, I-Exchange was
created as an e-mail conversation
between UW-Madison international
students and alumni living abroad. This
free virtual pen pal program sought to
help gain perspective about life as an
international student, help get guidance
on global job opportunities and provide
an opportunity to chat about the culture
in another country. Two who took
advantage of this opportunity were
Bob Holtz ’85 and Anand Chhatpar ’05.
During their correspondence about a
year and a half ago, Chhatpar was an
international student from India
studying engineering at UW-Madison.
He is still in Madison and has launched
a company called BrainReactions,
which focuses on innovation generating
for corporations. Holtz is an alumnus living
and working in the banking industry
in Switzerland, and is WAA’s alumni
contact for that country. Following are
some questions they both answered
regarding their correspondence:
Q: Why did you choose to be part of the
I-Exchange Program
Chhatpar: To meet someone who
is in a different country. This can
be very difficult unless you actually
go there.
Holtz: I wanted to encourage more
students to at least explore and
understand cultures outside the
U.S., and to provide some direction
to individuals interested in making
a change.
Q: What did this program mean to you
Chhatpar: It was an opportunity for
sharing thoughts and ideas while
gaining new perspectives from other
experienced Badgers.
Holtz: It gave me assurance that
students are exploring all options
in their careers; the U.S. is not the
only option.
Q: What did you learn about each other that
was most interesting to you
Chhatpar: Life in Switzerland is
beautiful overall, and work in the
banking industry is fun. There is
also a difference in the way things
work in the U.S. as opposed to
other countries, which is learned
from experience.
Q: Do you have any advice for future
correspondents
Chhatpar: Be open, and take the time
to get to know other people.
Holtz: There are many rewarding
opportunities outside the U.S. You
can’t be afraid to chase after them;
the effort is worth it.
If you are interested in being a part of this
program please contact Liz Stern, WAA’s
director of international relations, at
LizStern@uwalumni.com.
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The Distinguished Alumni Award
UW International is a
publication of the
Wisconsin Alumni
Association®.
Stories may be reprinted
with permission.
For information or
additional copies of this
publication, contact:
Liz Stern
Wisconsin Alumni
Association
650 N. Lake Street
Madison, WI 53706-1476
Phone +01-608-265-8776
http://www.uwalumni.
com/international
LizStern@uwalumni.com
© 2006, Wisconsin Alumni
Association
The Wisconsin Alumni Association ® (WAA) is seeking nominations for its highest
honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award, which acknowledges professional and
volunteer achievements. Honorees must be present to accept their awards during
Alumni Weekend in May 2007. See uwalumni.com/daa for more information. Please
send all nominations by October 13, 2006, to the Wisconsin Alumni Association,
Attention: Nominations, 650 North Lake Street, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Marathoners Joined Together
The Wisconsin Alumni Lifelong Learning program discovered that its Online
Marathon Training Class has appeal around the world. Dr. Ron Carda, from the
UW-Madison Department of Kinesiology, has adapted the content of his distance
running class to be delivered on the Web. Of the 24 people enrolled for the spring
semester class, two are from overseas. Richard Randell MS’86, PhD’96 lives in Bern,
Switzerland. He received his PhD in sociology from UW-Madison in 1996 and has
been living in Switzerland since 1999. Thomas Kirk ’88, MS’93 works at the U.S.
Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. To add to the international flavor, another participant
is Tobias Langenberg, who came to Madison from his native Germany to do
postdoctoral work in zoology. Lifelong learning takes on an international flavor!
Ever wonder what happened
to the people you met here
Find out with the Alumni Directory.
Update your profile today.
uwalumni.com
Connecting. Enriching. Serving.