Michelle Burbage and faculty and staff of TMA stand and smile in a classroom

UC global health expert hones leadership skills as Fulbright Specialist

Award funded public health research workshops, hands-on training in Tbilisi, Georgia

By Tim Tedeschi Email Tim 513-556-5694

7 minute read July 26, 2024

The University of Cincinnati’s Michelle Burbage believes public health research and policy is best achieved when traditional barriers are broken down.

“Being siloed in a specific field or a specific region really doesn’t help when we’re trying to enhance society, especially enhancing public health and policy that impacts communities,” said Burbage, PhD, assistant professor and Master of Public Health program director in the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences in UC’s College of Medicine. “It’s really vital that academics can work in multicultural settings and with professionals from other disciplines and other countries.”

Burbage put this philosophy into practice this past spring, working as a Fulbright Specialist in Tbilisi, the capital city in the Eastern European country of Georgia.

Matching with the right opportunity

Burbage is a community-engaged scientist whose research focus includes looking at health disparities among vulnerable and underserved populations, risk factors and behaviors, as well as how policy can influence health.

Michelle Burbage stands and smiles next to a podium in a lecture hall labeled Tbilisi Medical Academy

Burbage worked as a Fulbright Specialist at Tbilisi Medical Academy in Georgia. Photo provided.

Previously, she completed the Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program at the National Academy of Medicine and served on a subcommittee of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, helping draft a report on STEM policy.

A mentor recommended the Fulbright Specialist Program to Burbage, given her background. More than 400 U.S. citizens share expertise with international host institutions through the program each year, with recipients selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

Once you are accepted as a Fulbright Specialist, you are placed on a roster and have three years to be matched with an institution seeking your skill set. While Burbage was on the roster, the Petre Shotadze Tbilisi Medical Academy (TMA) in Georgia was seeking a global public health expert to enhance their research efforts in local communities, and she was a perfect fit.

“It was really serendipitous that they had an open application seeking a Fulbright Specialist during the same time I was on the roster looking for placement. It was the perfect opportunity for a meaningful collaboration,” Burbage said. “Since I’m a community-engaged scientist and global health expert, their proposal was very appealing to me.”

Hands-on training

At the end of April, Burbage spent a little more than two weeks in Tbilisi organizing and leading a workshop focused on the facilitation of research skills development for TMA faculty and students. Each day covered a different topic designed to equip participants with essential skills and strategies to conduct effective and ethical research in medicine, health care, public health and global health.

Burbage stands with the Caucasus mountains in the background

In addition to her work as a Fulbright Specialist, Burbage experienced Georgia's culture and landscapes, including the Caucasus mountains. Photo provided.

“This included how to identify research questions, different literature review techniques, looking at research methodologies, academic writing, presentation skills and then of course ethical considerations when you're working in health research and with communities,” she said.

In addition to lectures, daily hands-on exercises put what participants had learned into practice.

“I tried to make it very hands-on by incorporating activities based on my lectures, and I also shared a lot of my own research so they could see examples of real-life studies that have been done. Showing what worked and did not work for me helped them learn from my own experiences being on community-engaged projects as well as conducting public health research,” Burbage said.

Burbage also conducted one-on-one sessions with faculty members and students to talk through research ideas and projects and provide feedback.

Cultural exchange

While many Americans might be unfamiliar with the country of Georgia or might confuse it with the Southern state, Burbage said she was grateful to be immersed in a robust culture with the help of her hosts at TMA.

Burbage and two colleagues stand holding wine glasses

Burbage's hosts at TMA took her on a tour of a wine lab, as Georgia is the birthplace of wine. Photo provided.

“It’s a beautiful culture, and the country is picturesque with delicious food,” she said. “The traditional meals are cooked with a wide array of spices that give dishes a burst of flavor. Tbilisi itself is a very old city with beautiful architecture. It was an amazing experience to be a part of a very deep and rich culture.”

Even with everything that makes the country unique, Burbage said she saw parallels between Georgia and the United States.

“It was interesting to learn about some of the health outcomes and disparities that they’re facing in Georgia in their rural communities, as a lot of the rural communities are similar to rural America,” she said. “They face geographical isolation and don’t always have access to nearby hospitals and health care services.

“There’s poverty in rural areas that are similar to in the U.S., so I saw a lot of similarities with the rural environment and a lot of the same barriers they have for health care and seeking health care access,” Burbage continued. “Also, with my background in policy, I was very keen to learn more about public health policies in Georgia and how they have impacted health outcomes of communities.”

Professional growth

Burbage said the Fulbright Specialist experience helped her grow as an educator and leader by providing her opportunities to hone her skills working with individuals in a multicultural setting.

“While I was there, I practiced my leadership skills not only through the creation of these workshops but bringing people together and trying to create future collaborations,” Burbage said. “There is a lot of learning when it comes to utilizing effective leadership skills, cross-cultural communication and forging partnerships. Those are all skills that I definitely cultivated through this experience.”

Moving forward, Burbage and professionals at TMA aim to continue the partnership and collaborate on research to keep the momentum going.

“Developing new international collaborations also helps to foster a culture of innovation here at UC,” she said. “I thought it was a wonderful and eye-opening experience for me to be able to build this cross-country relationship and hope to continue this partnership for years to come.”

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Featured photo at top of Burbage with TMA faculty and staff. Photo provided.

UC global health expert hones leadership skills as Fulbright Specialist