Academic global health collaboration: the Ruhuna-Duke partnership

The role of institutional partnerships is increasingly recognized as a means of advancing our collective efficacy in improving public health. Shared challenges related to infectious and chronic diseases, as well as social determinants of health including environmental stressors, have led to a growth in academic global health collaborations. Triggered by the 2004 tsunami, the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, and Duke University, USA, established an educational and research collaboration that has been sustained and broadened over two decades. The initiation and development of the collaboration, as well as its educational and research components, are described in this manuscript. We discuss lessons learned that may be of interest to other emerging partnerships: the keys to the collaboration's success, challenges and barriers faced, as well as plans to sustain and further grow an equitable, academically rigorous, and impactful global health partnership.

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Publication Details

Journal
Global Health Action
Published
2025-08-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2543603
Primary Topic
Global Health and Surgery
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Academic global health collaboration: the Ruhuna-Duke partnership

Bilesha Perera, Christopher W. Woods, Champica K. Bodinayake, Madureka Premamali et al.
Global Health Action
Global Health and Surgery
article

Academic global health collaboration: the Ruhuna-Duke partnership

Bilesha Perera, Christopher W. Woods, Champica K. Bodinayake, Madureka Premamali, Truls Østbye, P. L. Ariyananda, L. Gayani Tillekeratne, Vijitha De Silva, Ruvini Kurukulasooriya, Ajith Nagahawatte
article en

Abstract

The role of institutional partnerships is increasingly recognized as a means of advancing our collective efficacy in improving public health. Shared challenges related to infectious and chronic diseases, as well as social determinants of health including environmental stressors, have led to a growth in academic global health collaborations. Triggered by the 2004 tsunami, the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, and Duke University, USA, established an educational and research collaboration that has been sustained and broadened over two decades. The initiation and development of the collaboration, as well as its educational and research components, are described in this manuscript. We discuss lessons learned that may be of interest to other emerging partnerships: the keys to the collaboration's success, challenges and barriers faced, as well as plans to sustain and further grow an equitable, academically rigorous, and impactful global health partnership.

Global Health ActionVol. 18(1)
University of Ruhuna (LK), Duke University (US), National Hospital of Sri Lanka (LK), Duke Institute for Health Innovation (US), Karamay Central Hospital (CN), Duke University Health System (US)
National Research Council, National Institutes of Health, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, Office of Naval Research
Partnerships for the goals
Openalex Percentile: Top 71%
Global Health and Surgery
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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