The International Center at the University of Florida awarded Dr. Jessica-Jean Stonecipher as an International Educators Awardee for 2023. This award recognizes faculty and staff who make an “outstanding contributions to the internationalization of the University of Florida”. Nominees are those who have contributed to the education on international issues and have supported the global impact of UF.
Dr. Stonecipher has conducted a study abroad program in Greece since 2019 in which students learned about health from new perspectives, places, and people. These experiences have helped inspire students to focus more on health access, policies, and systems during their time at the University of Florida. Students travel to Athens and Thessaloniki to engage with Greek residents, learn from leading experts, and shadow non-profits to receive a richer understanding of global diversity in health care systems.
As a member of the Global Learning Institute, Dr. Stonecipher also teaches a course, ENC 2305: Global Medical Narratives, annually through the International Scholars Program. This course allows students to learn about international healthcare, health systems, and the experiences of health on a global scale. The content of this course has inspired students to attend the study abroad program in Greece as well as join the International Scholars Program.
She has also created a virtual exchange (VE) which allow students to have international experiences without the barriers of international travel. Dr. Stonecipher has been able to collaborate with Dr. Lorena Michele Brennan-Bourdon at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, ITESO in Guadalajara, Mexico to offer international experiences in health and healthcare to UF students. Dr. Brennan-Bourdon’s students from Mexico can learn and exchange with UF students on health topics as well as everyday life and culture.
Dr. Stonecipher has not only contributed to international education in her own work but has also assisted her colleagues in the University Writing Program as the Experiential Learning Coordinator. In that role, she has helped UWP faculty plan their own study abroad programs and access the many international trainings offered by the UFIC. Her leadership in the internationalization of education at the University of Florida has been instrumental to the success of her students and the University Writing Program.