USF Health hosts Betty Castor, Patel Center for Global Solutions, at the USF Health office in Panama

This April, USF Health and the College of Public Health were delighted to host Dr. Betty Castor, executive director of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions together with Dr. Mark Amen, Academic Director and Dr. Thomas Crisman, Patel Professor of Environment. Hosting the Patel Center group were Aracely Quintero, Program Manager and Dr. Arlene Calvo, Director, USF Health Panama Office; and Dr. Ann DeBaldo, AVP International Programs and Jay Evans, assistant dean for administration and finance, COPH. (Pictured at right: Betty Castor, Ann DeBaldo and Mark Amen by the Panama Canal)

With a focus on water issues, Panama is a good place for the Patel Center to work. “As the new canal is planned, there are concerns about the fresh water supplies that power the canal,” said Dr. DeBaldo. “And since many of these are health related issues, we hope that faculty from USF Health and from the Patel Center will be able to partner on some interesting projects.”

Dr. Crisman sees Panama as having great potential for developing an integrated model involving the private sector with the academic and public sectors in tackling water and environmental challenges. He pointed out, “The United Nations has recognized water quality and quantity as the overarching issues that affect developing nations. This is a unique opportunity to fully integrate public health and environmental programs at USF and develop a model that is innovative in the academic community for addressing sustainability in the tropics. By integrating public health and the environment, USF is poised to become a leader in global water issues.”
The group visited the City of Knowledge (Ciudad del Saber) (CoK), a public-private partnership dedicated to education and research, where USF Health has its Panama office as a member of the Academic Community. Visits to a number of such agencies as CATHALAC (Centro del Agua del Tropico Humedo para America Latina y el Caribe) researching and advising on water policies, the Panama Canal Authority and the Ministry of Commerce and Industries amongst others made the trip a very busy and productive one. And of course no visit to Panama is complete without a visit to the Panama Canal.

Jay Evans commented on his time there, “I was pleased to help strengthen and streamline the Tampa-Panama office operations on this visit, making it even easier to undertake cooperative activities and exchanges.”

Dr. Castor will be the featured speaker at the Public Health Opportunities in Panama session to be held Thursday, May 10, 10-12 noon in the College of Public Health auditorium A. She will discuss highlights of this recent visit with a focus on potential initiatives in Panama. Global Health students who recently returned from their international field experiences in Panama will also be discussing their research and education work at the Gorgas Memorial Institute, the Pan American Health Organization and Health Research International. COPH student Tina Mutka will be working with INDICASAT in Panama for her International Field Experience this summer.