About

This blog shares stories about the University of Michigan’s rapidly expanding engagement with Ethiopia. About 20 units across U-M have projects underway with Ethiopian colleagues. Within the Medical School alone, nearly 50 investigators from 15 different departments are involved in research in the country on the Horn of Africa. Their interests include family planning, organ transplant, surgical simulation, medical education, post-graduate training in various specialties, triple negative breast cancer and heart disease in pregnancy.

In the past 18 months, nearly 35 Ethiopian faculty and several senior government officials have visited U-M’s campus in Ann Arbor, including the minister of health, Kesetebirhan Admasu, who met with dozens of university leaders and faculty in June 2014.

Moreover, 65 faculty and staff and an additional 50 students have traveled to Ethiopia on educational, research and clinical activities over the past year and a half. Among those are nearly 30 students and faculty who were supported by Provost’s office Third Century grant Ethiopia-Michigan Platform for Advancing Collaborative Engagement .

Most of these partnerships were facilitated by Senait Fisseha, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology. A native of Ethiopia, Fisseha completed her medical residency at U-M in 2003.

The blog is curated by William Foreman, with visuals from Austin Thomason of Michigan Photography and editing by Deborah Holdship at Michigan News. Foreman welcomes your comments, suggestions and other feedback. Write to him at wforeman@umich.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @GlobalMichigan or #MGoEthiopia.