The Benefits of International Student Perspectives in a Global Cancer Workshop

Abstract

A recent opportunity to facilitate a faculty and student workshop in Global Health and Cancer Prevention allowed us, an international group of graduate students, to reflect on cancer disparities in our home countries as well as our understanding of these differences. This included discussing the complexity of achieving equitable cancer prevention globally, and learning from our shared and disparate experiences of public health systems across the world. It became clear through this process that being an international student, and working with other international students with distinct backgrounds, can result in an enriched learning environment. Our discussions highlighted gaps in our knowledge regarding other cultures, and gave each of us a new perspective on aspects of our own cultures, related to cancer, cancer- related risk factors, and more broadly. This forum demonstrated to us the benefits of the diversity international students can bring to the learning space.