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Costa Rica Alicia & Yaya Initiative in Global Aging Research Visit
From April 22-24, a research delegation from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) visited the University of Maryland, Baltimore to see UMB's facilities and create connections across the faculty members of the two universities who engage in aging research with the express goal of stimulating collaborative research partnerships.
The trip was organized by the School of Graduate Studies' Alicia & Yaya Initiative in Global Aging Research. Seven researchers from UCR participated in the visit, with expertise in microbiology, cancer, physical therapy and human movement, and nutrition.
The group toured the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, the Institute for Genome Sciences, Next Step Robotics Center, the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, and 4MLK, where they learned about the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center. At each stop, researchers from UMB and UCR shared their research to help find connections between the researchers.
"This new visit to UMB has been a great opportunity to strengthen existing connections and to foster new opportunities in aging research," said Carolina Santamaría Ulloa, Ph.D. is a full professor and researcher of the Health Research Institute and the Human Nutrition Department at the University of Costa Rica.
As an Alicia & Yaya Fellow in 2023, Dr. Santamaría Ulloa worked with Dr. Amanda Lehning, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Dr. Santamaría Ulloa added that the Initiative has made a huge difference in her academic career. "As a visiting scholar at UMB, during my sabbatical license, I built strong connections with Dr. Lehning. What I appreciate the most is our really horizontal professional relationship, in which our contributions are equally appreciated by each other, and has resulted in publications, conference presentations, grant proposals, and an intercultural friendship."
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