Paper
Thursday, July 12, 2007
This presentation is part of : MHIRT: Innovation in Family Health Research Training with Underserved Populations
MHIRT (Minority Health International Research Training) Students at the Università La Sapienza of Roma, Rome, Italy
Julita Sansoni, Dra, DAI1, Anna Rita Marucci, BSc2, Walter DeCaro, MSc2, Annette Caravia, SN3, and Angelica Gonzalez, SN3. (1) Department of Public Health, “La Sapienza” University of Roma, Roma, Italy, (2) Department of Public Health, "La Sapienza" University of Roma, Roma, Italy, (3) College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

In collaboration with the Minority Health International Program (MHIRT) at FIU in Miami, Florida, two undergraduate minority nursing students travelled to Rome, Italy for one semester to perform nursing research together with the nursing research team at the Università La Sapienza.  The MHIRT program provides students with the opportunity to gain practical experience conducting international research focused on chronic illness among disadvantaged and underserved populations in a global setting.  Specifically, the students are participating in an ongoing study on Body Image after Mastectomies and Colostomies.  Objectives for the student projects included: active participation in research through literature searches, summary of the literature, administering instruments to participants, reviewing collected data, and data entry.  Students practice back translating instruments from Italian into English. They are also assisting in translating an original nursing research article from Italian into English for publication.  Additional research activities involve visiting local hospital settings in Rome and Viterbo to explain to department officials the purpose of the research study and to introduce the questionnaires which include demographic information and the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist (HGRC). Upon completion of the semester in Rome, the minority nursing students will have completed research activities under direct guidance of and in collaboration with the nursing research team. The minority students learned the fundamentals of nursing research in an international setting to prepare them for future nursing research opportunities. From the faculty side, the MHIRT program is a great opportunity to consolidate international collaboration and share different culture methods through common knowledge. Input from transatlantic students and reciprocity with local students stimulates the learning environment, as the Italian and USA students become supportive of each other. Collaboration with international faculty helps to establish a cohesion network that enriches each other and give sensibility to the common cooperative work.