“As the academic world becomes more global and more digital, the most successful universities will activate and join networks that are appropriate for them – and work to develop new ones in collaboration with other universities,” said President Peter Salovey during the plenary session at the Universia International Presidents Meeting hosted by Banco Santander in Rio de Janeiro in July.

During a weeklong trip to Brazil, President Salovey made this statement a reality, meeting with academic and government leaders, formalizing partnerships with leading universities and institutions, and connecting with Yale alumni and affiliates through the Yale Club of Brazil.

Exploring pressing issues in higher education

The trip began with the 3^rd Universia International Presidents Meeting, where President Salovey spoke before the presidents and other leaders of more than 1,100 universities mostly from Latin America although universities from around the globe were also well represented.  

As one of the plenary session speakers, President Salovey offered insights on the phases of globalization in the context of higher education. He also met with representatives from Brazil’s top universities to discuss Yale’s recruitment of students through the Science Without Borders program and participation in other research collaborations.

Establishing a global health alliance

The Fiocruz-Yale Alliance for Global Health was formally launched at a signing ceremony with President Salovey and Paulo Gadelha, president of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil’s leading public health and biomedical research institution. The objective of the Alliance is to promote health and equality by cultivating research collaborations, faculty visits that will include both research and teaching, and creating new curricula.

In the spring, Yale will host a symposium on campus to bring together colleagues from both institutions to outline specific Alliance initiatives.

Strengthening current collaborations

At the University of São Paulo, the Brazilian university with which Yale has the largest number of collaborations, President Salovey signed an agreement designed to broaden the scope of the institutions’ collaborations even further. This agreement will strengthen already established relationships—which include exchanges in humanities, infectious diseases, law, and psychiatry—and provide a framework for future pursuits. During his visit, the President also gave a lecture on emotional intelligence at USP’s medical school.

Partnering to enhance early childhood development

President Salovey met with São Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad to discuss building upon the work being done with the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute (GHLI) to support local initiatives in early childhood development, a cause to which both the mayor and First Lady Ana Estela Haddad are deeply committed. The meeting came a few weeks after the First Lady visited Yale as part of a Brazilian delegation participating in the GHLI Forums for Change program which focused on early childhood issues, including the effect of violence on children.

Advancing research on rainforest conservation and restoration

Promoting forest restoration and sustainable rural development in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, one of the planet’s most biodiverse regions, President Salovey formalized an agreement with the State University of Santa Cruz in Bahia to advance coordinated research and educational initiatives. The signing ceremony included key regional partners representing both the private and public sectors.
 
“Although Yale University is thousands of miles away, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies has a long history of engaging with Brazilian collaborators and colleagues on tropical forest research,” Salovey said. “Yale is very proud to be a partner in helping to work locally on pressing environmental issues that have a global impact.”

To learn more about Yale and Brazil, visit world.yale.edu/brazil.