A Collaborative Academic Relationship

The University of Washington School of Nursing (UWSON) and Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) are excited to announce a Memorandum of Understanding to foster bilateral exchange of ideas, knowledge, and practices between the two institutions. Assistant Professor Daniel Suárez-Baquero obtained BSN and MSN degrees from UNAL and is the faculty lead for this partnership for the University of Washington.

Through this MOU the entities will establish a collaborative academic relationship whereby students, researchers, and faculty from both universities will be able to engage in meaningful dialogue and collaborative research projects focused on critical issues related to nursing science, with a focus on reproductive justice and birth equity.

The plan is to initiate formal research projects, conduct virtual and in-person seminars, and provide support for community engagement initiatives to address knowledge gaps in nursing, midwifery, and reproductive justice transnationally. Through future collaborative research, we aim to identify, implement and evaluate innovative solutions and best practices to scale in both the US and Colombia, focused on improving healthcare outcomes and ensuring reproductive justice for all at the population-level.

Additionally, our partnership will emphasize the importance of anti-racism and acknowledge the historical injustices perpetuated by colonialism. We anticipate that this partnership will  provide opportunities for other UW scholars interested in working with Colombia.

MOUs are non-financially binding agreements led by current UWSON faculty and managed through the Center for Global Health Nursing (CGHN). The CGHN collaborates with the UW Office of Global Affairs to create the agreement and ensure goals are met from the perspective of both institutions after a 5-year timeframe. The UNAL UW MOU is one of 12 current, active MOUs the UWSON holds with academic institutions of excellence globally.

-Kristine Wright