UCF’s College of Medicine and College of Nursing have welcomed their first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence. Angela Requena, from Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas in Peru, will work on global health, study abroad and interprofessional medical education initiatives. She will be based in the College of Medicine’s population health sciences department.
Requena originally trained as a dentist before discovering her passion for public health. Traveling to the UK, she received her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Edinburgh before training in life coaching to help empower health providers to improve their quality of care.
“In an era of artificial intelligence and technology, where everything is moving toward having the best equipment, software and tools, connecting with the human side as providers is key,” Requena says. “Because, when you pick a doctor, the one that makes the most impact is the one that connected with you most.”
As a visiting scholar she will be teaching nursing and medical students team leadership, partnership and communication.
“Through training in public health, I understood the importance of communication and soft skills, those little things that make us really click with someone,” Requena says. “These are examples of some techniques that make a doctor approachable by patients.”
Requena recently made one of her first public appearances as the College of Nursing celebrated a construction milestone at its new facility in Lake Nona.
“Being included in such a significant moment of growth is both humbling and inspiring,” she says.
Mary Lou Sole, dean of UCF’s College of Nursing, says the team was honored to have Requena at the structural completion celebration.
“With an optimal location next door to UCF’s College of Medicine, the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion will be a hub of healthcare innovation and collaboration that will positively impact the health of communities not only in Central Florida, but around the world,” she says.
Requena was selected due to UCF’s ongoing relationship with the Peru university through the Academic Health Sciences Population Health Collaborative Global Health Initiative led by Elena Cyrus, associate professor at the College of Medicine and Jean Davis, assistant professor at the College of Nursing.
That study abroad program began in 2022, initially sending three medical students to Peru with the objective of expanding their knowledge of medical Spanish, international public health and providing research and clinical experiences in an international setting. The program has since expanded, sending M.D. candidates to the Peru university for infectious disease training. Another cohort will start next year at a site opening in Malta for training opportunities on treating and researching non-communicable and chronic diseases.
Requena will continue to expand the medical school’s study abroad program and explore how to bring it to College of Nursing students as well.
“While working at UPC in my home country Peru, I facilitated and supported the UCF Study Abroad program students and faculty when they are in residence with us every June, which I did for the past two years,” Requena says. “Now, working from the UCF side, I want to open the doors and support anyone else who wants to participate in the future in Peru or the upcoming Malta site.”
Medical students interested in the study abroad program are encouraged to register to attend an information session scheduled for Oct. 28 at the UCF College of Medicine.
As part of her Fulbright Scholarship, Requena is working on the National Institutes of Health’s ENTRUST research project, which unites community organizations across Florida to help empower individuals to access healthcare and wellness resources. She is serving as a community liaison, helping with the logistics of managing the team.
“With Angela coming here and directing the medical school in Peru, she had that skill set to manage that wide team with all those different members,” says Cyrus who leads the ENTRUST project. “And because she speaks both English and Spanish, that is another benefit for us.”
Cyrus is excited at the opportunity the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence offers for future international healthcare collaborations.
“We’re setting a precedent for the College of Medicine,” she says. “UCF has welcomed Fulbrights before, but typically only at the student level. When we have a Fulbright Faculty in residence, we really see the reciprocal scholarly exchange at its maximum level.”
