The University of Global Health Equity

A brief conversation with Associate Professor Tom Parker on his experiences with The Global Collaborative.

What is the impact your participation has had on your approach to teaching?

The global collaborative has inspired me to create a new intensive experience in Environmental Studies called Blue Rwanda (ENST 283), which focuses on the field of the Blue Humanities (water studies in the Humanities), and puts emphasis on both human and planetary health in an international lens, while reconfiguring the emerging interdisciplinary field of water studies through a distinctly African prism. The course marks a new direction in my teaching and research.

How has your participation in global collaborative work impacted the goals of:

...supporting institutions of higher education in integrating liberal arts content and pedagogy into their degree programs?

Now in its second iteration, Blue Rwanda draws on methods from history, environmental studies, anthropology, literature, and political economy to foster collaboration between Vassar College students and students in UGHE’s MBBS/MGHD programs. Together, they engage with complex planetary and human health challenges. This initiative is now being formalized at Vassar with the support of Lisa Pace, Associate Director for Pre-Health and STEM Advising, who helps pre-health students recognize the value of global education as a vital component of their training.

This course inspired a $1.5 million Mellon Humanities for All Times grant proposal, currently being advanced by 25 Vassar colleagues across the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and administration. The proposed initiative, “Hands-On Blue Humanities: Water, Justice, and Care in the Hudson Valley and Beyond,” weaves international learning experiences into a local context and offers a model for global partners to engage collaboratively in applying international water studies themes to local challenges. We’re excited that our proposal has been selected to advance to the next round of consideration.

We are engaging with technologies, podcasts and new platforms (e.g. photovoice) to bring visibility to international work and translate international educational experience int actionable knowledge.

...Enhancing liberal arts education globally?

We are currently collaborating with professors from Vassar College, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Global Health Equity, and IIT Bombay on several new initiatives designed to deepen faculty and student engagement across institutions and educational levels. Our aim is to “layer” liberal arts methodologies by connecting with students both at the outset of their academic journeys (undergraduate level) and at more advanced stages (advanced Bachelor’s, Master’s level), fostering a continuum of interdisciplinary learning and collaboration.

One possible avenue under consideration is a joint teaching and research initiative in the field of disability studies—a theme that the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Advanced Studies will highlight in 2026–2027. This collaboration would allow us to explore how global education in this emerging discipline can be deepened through a cross-cultural and international dialogue, enriching perspectives and practices across our institutions.

...Fostering critical thinking, creativity, and inclusive leadership?

As part of our commitment to fostering critical thinking, creativity, and inclusive leadership, we are actively working to integrate Edinburgh’s Mastercard Scholars into our collaborative efforts—including a PhD student from Kenya who will join us this summer. We have also engaged Vassar students with interests in art, dance, and creative writing in our international programming, with a focus on bridging the humanities with studies in health and medicine. Across all of these initiatives, our international experiences combine experiential learning with critical thinking in a team-based, international collaborative context.