The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and College of Public Health (CPH) have formalized a new international partnership with Korea University's Education & Research Center for Leading Talent in Data Science-based Future Health Society (Sejong Campus). The partnership is established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will expand opportunities for collaborative research, education, and scholarly exchange between the institutions.
New International Partnership Advances Global Public Health and Infectious Disease Collaboration
The MOU builds upon existing relationships between faculty at Ohio State and Korea University while establishing a framework for expanding collaborative activities in the years ahead.
The partnership is designed to enhance research excellence through participation in a global infectious disease network and create new research and training opportunities for graduate students, trainees, faculty, and scholars at both institutions. Areas of cooperation include the exchange of scientific and educational materials, collaborative research initiatives, faculty and scholar exchanges, and the development of joint workshops and symposia on topics of mutual interest.
The new partnership further strengthens IDI's growing international engagement and complements its designations as an FAO Reference Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance and an FAO Reference Centre for Zoonotic Coronaviruses, as well as its participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) Coronavirus Network (CoViNet), creating additional opportunities to connect researchers, trainees and public health professionals across global infectious disease networks. The collaboration reflects Ohio State's commitment to advancing research, education and global engagement through strategic international partnerships that foster knowledge exchange and mutual learning.
Jiyoung Lee, PhD, professor and chair of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences in the College of Public Health and recently appointed associate director of the Infectious Diseases Institute, will serve as Ohio State's lead representative for the partnership. Her leadership reflects the close collaboration between CPH and IDI that underpins the agreement.
“This formal partnership represents an exciting and timely next step after several years of productive collaboration between Korea University, the College of Public Health and IDI. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical importance of strong global partnerships, which will be essential for anticipating, detecting, and responding to future emerging infectious disease threats. By bringing together our complementary strengths in infectious disease, public health, One Health, and data science, we envision a highly active and synergistic partnership that will foster innovative research, meaningful scholarly exchange, and new training opportunities for students, faculty, and researchers at both institutions."
Korea University's lead representative is Boseung Choi, PhD, director of the Education & Research Center for Leading Talent in Data Science-based Future Health Society at the university's Sejong Campus.
“I have had the privilege of collaborating with Professor Jiyoung Lee, Professor Greg Rempala, and other colleagues at Ohio State for more than a decade. Our long-standing collaboration has produced many meaningful research outcomes and played an important role in developing the research program I now lead at Korea University. The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that international collaboration is essential to addressing these global challenges. Our Education & Research Center focuses on interdisciplinary research from data science and biomedical sciences. By combining this interdisciplinary expertise with CPH and IDI’s strengths in infectious disease and public health, this MOU provides an exciting opportunity to expand our collaboration to a much broader scale. Building on the strong foundation we have established over the years, I look forward to seeing our students and researchers work closely with colleagues and to producing innovative and impactful research outcomes that go well beyond what we have achieved through individual collaborations.”
The MOU was developed in coordination with Ohio State's Office of International Affairs (OIA), which helps facilitate and manage the university's international agreements and institutional partnerships, and will remain in effect for an initial three-year term and may be renewed by mutual agreement.