Chronic Illness is a Global Problem(Fri 3 Feb 2006) I recently had the honor of leading the YSN delegation to the International Nursing Conference on Prevention and Management of Chronic Illness which we co-sponsored with Mahidol University in Thailand and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This 3-day conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand and was an opportunity for nursing professionals and scholars interested in the prevention and management of chronic conditions to meet and discuss the challenges and opportunities that confront the nursing profession in countries around the world. The main objectives of the conference were the prevention and management of chronic illness, decreasing family caregiving burdens, the impact of chronic illnesses on health care systems and establishing an international network of nurse researchers and clinicians in this area of care.
Chronic illnesses have replaced acute illnesses as major public health problems around the world. We continue to work with the broader Yale community and President Levin, whose goal is the internationalization of Yale, by making recommendations that would expand the global ambitions of the health campus. YSN's goal of educating our students with a global perspective by expanding opportunities for study abroad is reflected in their community rotations; last year 50% of our students fulfilled these rotations outside of the U.S. With the support of the Yale-China Association we've trained nursing leaders in China for the past 10 years.
Looking toward the future, YSN is gearing up to launch a major Center for International Nursing Scholarship with an emphasis on the global application and dissemination of nursing knowledge and a focus on the development of faculty scholarship in international health and nursing. This center would replace YSN's Office of International Affairs.
YSN has led many of our colleagues in helping to deal with the issues of chronic illness in the developed and developing world. This work is incredibly important to our mission of better health care for all. I congratulate all involved.
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