Lillian Carter Center for Global Health & Social Responsibility
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Preparing Nurses to Become Globally Engaged Citizens
Named for President Jimmy Carter's Mother, Miss Lillian, The Lillian Carter Center for Global Health & Social Responsibility, dedicated in 2001, has a rich history of educational, practice and research offerings. The center serves as the school's hub for global education, research, practice, and engagement
Our Mission
Our mission is to help improve the health of vulnerable people worldwide through nursing education, research, practice, and policy.
We define global health broadly, encompassing both global research outside of the United States and local research with vulnerable communities. The Lillian Carter Center ensures that global research, health, service learning, and social responsibility are infused throughout the curriculum and educational experience for all students.
Celebrating 20 Years
Our Strategies
A Three Pronged Approach
Nursing Research in Global Health
The LCC is the focal point for the School of Nursing's global and local community-based research. We engage with local and global partners to foster and sustain collaborative initiatives that address problems and concerns that transcend national boundaries.
Service Learning and Social Responsibility
Our students are encouraged to explore both global and local service learning opportunities as part of their nursing education.
Global Engagement
We work in partnership with local, national and global organizations – many headquartered here in Atlanta. We utilize the on-campus resources provided by the Emory University.
Global Research
Our Focus
The Lillian Carter Center engages with local and global partners to foster and nurture collaborative initiatives that address problems and concerns that transcend national boundaries.
Global Research Interest Group
Our Global Research Interest Group includes faculty, staff and students who are instrumental to the success of our global research initiatives. Through their efforts, we continue to expand the School of Nursing global research networks via pragmatic and sustainable strategies. In collaboration with global partners, this group is engaged in multiple initiatives to promote nursing research capacity, especially in the south where nursing research is limited but urgently needed to inform local health policies and standards of care. The group also hosts periodic lectures focusing on important global health topics.
Grant Writing Mentorship
At the request of our global partners, the LCC is currently sponsoring a one-year Grant Writing Refresher Intensive and mentorship for Nursing Faculty in the south. Our inaugural cohort includes twelve PhD trained Nurses from four Countries in Africa. We plan to scale this initiative to other regions including the Caribbean and Latin America.
Global Research Funding Opportunities
To learn more about the 10 largest public and philanthropic funders of health research in the world, what they fund and how they distribute their funds, please review this article.
The LCC periodically curates a list funding opportunities that may be of interest to Emory faculty and our global partners.
Visiting Nursing Research Scholars
The LCC supports a vibrant Visiting Scholars program. To participate in the program as a visiting nursing research scholar, you need to identify an Emory faculty who will be your primary research mentor/sponsor.
Service Learning
What is Service Learning?
Service learning immersions are academic and clinical-based experiences that allow all students to work with diverse populations in domestic and international communities. We have a multitude of budding and long-standing relationships with community partners across Georgia, the United States and the world. With these experiences, students are able to have unique, challenging, and skill-building nursing experiences while receiving course credits.
Get Involved
Applications are open a few months before the departure of each trip.
In order to apply for a service-learning immersion trip, you must attend an information session about the components and requirements of each trip. You will then receive a link to the appellation portal where you will fill out your application and select which trips within the timeframe you are hoping to apply for.
Use the button below for more details on the timeframes of the each immersion trip. Contact LCC@emory.edu for more information.
Immersion Trip Information
Want to enhance your nursing education with a meaningful and impactful experience?
All nursing students have the opportunity to attend a service learning immersion experience that will count towards a nursing course. Many immersions will now also count toward clinical hours!
Information session details are communicated directly to the approved cohorts.
Must be:
- Enrolled in the required course
- In good academic standing and will need to remain in good academic standing
- Approved by program directors
- Do not have any current conduct code sanctions or active honor code marks
All immersions are focused within the out-patient setting:
- Pediatrics
- Immigrant and Refugee Primary Care
- Rural Health Care for Indigenous Populations
- Exploring Native Health Around the World
- Substance use Disorder and Treatment
The School of Nursing has various nursing programs for undergraduate students. Most service learning immersion experiences count toward clinical hours and the clinical hour requirements vary. Typically, the immersion counts toward certain courses. This information is confirmed during the info sessions.
Immersion Trip Locations
Prepare to lead in any environment.
Whether local or global, our immersion trip locations prepare you for real-world clinical care in a variety of diverse settings.
Living Proof Recovery
- Focus: Evidence-based prevention, screening, harm reduction, and treatment for individuals with substance use disorders in rural and urban areas in the US, with a focus in Georgia
- Timeframe: Varies
- Trip length: 1 week
- Estimated Trip Fee: $300
- Trip Size: ~12 pre-licensure students
- Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process
New Horizons Treatment Center
- Focus: Provides Substance-Use Disorder Treatment and Screening
- Timeframe: Varies
- Trip length: 1 week
- Estimated Trip Fee: $300
- Trip Size: ~12 pre-licensure students
- Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process
Students will spend one week at Living Proof Recovery and one week at New Horizons Teratment Center.
Clarkston Community Health
- Focus: Immigrant & refugee primary care. Students will work with patients who are part of Refugees, Immigrants and Immigrants (RIM) communities from over 50 different places of origin.
- Timeframe: Varies
- Trip length: 1 week
- Estimated Trip Fee: Free
- Trip Size: ~8 pre-licensure students
- Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process
Multiple Partners Across the Atlanta Region
- Focus: Pediatric health screenings and assessments
- Timeframe: Varies
- Trip length: 1 week
- Estimated Trip Fee: Free
- Trip Size: ~6 students
- Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process
Farm Worker Family Health Program/Ellenton Health Clinic
- Focus: Provide healthcare for migrant farm worker families. Additionally, students experience clinically meaningful inter-professional service learning opportunities to multiple health professions students.
- Timeframe: Summer (June)
- Trip length:
- Pre-licensure: 1 week
- Post-licensure: 2 weeks
- Estimated Trip Fee: $300
- Trip Size:
- Pre-licensure: 30 students
- Post-licensure: 20 students
- Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process
Autonomous University of Yucatan (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán)
- Focus: The trip will allow students to gain an understanding of nursing and the healthcare system in Mexico to better equip them to deliver care to a diverse patient population while exploring both modern and traditional health care practices. Students will be immersed in the language, culture, and health care system of Mexico.
- Timeframe: Varies
- Trip length: 1 week
- Estimated Trip Fee: $1200
- Trip Size: 6-14 students
- Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process
Foundation for Peace
- Focus: Clinical care under full-time licensed physicians and gaining understanding of the health care system in the Dominican Republic.
- Timeframe: Varies
- Trip length: 1 week
- Estimated Trip Fee: $1200
- Trip Size: ~12 students
- Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process
CerviCusco
- Focus: Female preventive health care - cervical and breast cancer screening
- Trip Audience: Post-licensure students
- Timeframe: Fall
- Trip length: 1 week
- Estimated Trip Fee: $1200
- Trip Size: ~8 students
- Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process
The following immersion trips are currently on hold. Please check back for additiona linformation.
- Eleuthera, Bahamas
- Cap Haitian, Haiti - Eternal Hope
- Santo, Haiti - Foundation for Peace
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Kingston, Jamaica - Ministry of Health and local churches
- Auburn, California - Chapa-De Indian Health Service
- Native Health Around the World (Virtual Immersion)
Immersion Trip FAQs
All nursing students in good academic standing are eligible to attend a service learning immersion experience. Each immersion is tailored to students in specific nursing programs. To learn more about what immersion you can go on, depending on which nursing program you are enrolled in, please see the Immersion Trip tab.
The service-learning immersion trips occur during academic breaks.
- Spring Break
- Summer Break
- Fall Break
Nursing students are eligible to attend a service learning immersion trips based on the progression in your respective program. Since some of the immersion trips count toward clinical hours, there are courses that need to have been completed in order for you to receive the most out of your experience.
Applications open a few months before each break when immersion are occurring. Click here for the application timeline.
During the immersions, students and faculty stay close in proximity to the community partners they are working with. Often times, you stay at a local hotel. The international immersions have various accommodations - all of which are safe and are close to the clinical sites.
There are varying time commitments for each immersion trip. In general, there are pre-trip expectations which include meeting with your faculty and fellow nursing students to prepare for the trip.
On-trip time commitments vary on the location of your immersion experience. Local immersions are often day commitments where students are able to go home each evening.
Geographically further immersions typically involve a hotel stay where students are more engaged in their experience for the duration of the immersion.
There are post-trip expectations that include sharing your experiences with your local and healthcare communities.
Yes. You are welcome to apply to multiple service learning immersion trips and are able to rank your preferences on your application. In order to expand the opportunity of immersion trips to all students, you are welcome to join one immersion trip during your pre-licensure program and one immersion during your post-licensure program.
No, it varies by cohort you will be offered to apply for a trip while you are a pre-licensure student. If you continue to the master's program, you will be offered to apply for another trip.
Transportation looks different per immersion experience. Transportation is provided for international and geographically further immersion experiences. For local immersion experiences, students often carpool for transportation between campus and the clinical sites.
Local immersions function similarly to nursing student's hospital-based clinical rotations. Depending on how far the site is form Emory's campus, some immersions include breakfast and or lunch, and dinner is often the student's responsibility. Global immersions include all meals for students, but it is encouraged that students bring additional snacks. More detailed information will be provided for each specific service learning immersion experience.
Global Engagement
Visiting Scholars
Our Visitng Scholars Proram offers emphasizes academic excellence, cultural exchange, and professional development. Join us to expand your knowledge, foster innovative ideas, and contribute to groundbreaking research in a welcoming environment.
International Travel
For all Faculty, Staff, and Students traveling internationally on Emory business/research/clinical, please complete the Travel Tracker Form. Your travel information will be shared with the Global Engagement Team in case of emergency while traveling internationally.