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Featured Stories

Fellows Highlights
VCU Humphrey Fellow, Dr. Brian Maila moderates “COVID-19 vs. Children, Teenagers, and Young Adults – Vaccines, Perceptions,
Perspectives” session with Emory Fellows, Dr. Nida Ali, and Pavle Zelic. 
Humphrey Fellows at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Emory University came together to participate in a three-day virtual symposium, “Mental Wellbeing and Substance Use among Youth: A Global Perspective.” Humphrey Fellows led this symposium by offering welcome remarks, presenting best practices and case studies from their home countries, and moderating keynote sessions with U.S.-based professionals from VCU, University of Colorado School of Medicine, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

To kick off the first day of the symposium, VCU Fellow Dr. Prachi Ghildyal welcomed everyone and engaged in a thoughtful discussion with Assistant Clinical Professor Dimal Shah, M.D., who covered developmental theories as a framework for adolescent development. Emory Fellow Dr. Novil Wijesekara presented on meaningful youth engagement and spoke about two case studies from Sri Lanka, highlighting prevalent tools and best practices. Emory Fellow Dr. Sina Haj Amor also talked about a Tunisian pilot life skills training for preventing adolescent substance use. The following day, VCU Fellow Aliyu Baba discussed the impact of decriminalizing illicit drugs on youth and global drug trends. Emory Fellow Pavle Zelic also addressed the opioid epidemic by presenting the effect of counterfeit drugs and synthetic narcotics on youth mental and overall health. VCU Fellow Fara de Avila Machado served as the moderator and discussed youth substance use with Dr. Amy Goldstein. Emory Fellow Dr. Elisaveta Petrova Geretto engaged with Dr. Melinda Baldwin, who presented on behavioral wellbeing among youth in the United States. To wrap up, VCU Fellow Yakob Ahmed served as moderator and interacted with Dr.John Fluke, who spoke about child maltreatment reporting at the start of the pandemic. VCU Fellow Dr. Naseem Ramadan, Emory Fellow Dr. Nida Ali, and VCU alumna Leticia Keuroglian then presented different topics directly related to the pandemic, including the prevalence of substance use disorders in youth, drug use in adolescents, and perceptions about vaccinating children and young adults for COVID-19.
Program Coordinator Sarah Crane (top-left), leads Multi-Campus Seminar on "Excellent & Effective Leadership Needs Excellent & Effective Communication.”
This week’s Multi-Campus Seminar centered around the theme of “Excellent & Effective Leadership Needs Excellent & Effective Communication.” Sarah Crane, Humphrey Fellowship Program Coordinator at Vanderbilt University, led the discussion by clarifying what communication is and how effective communication engages both the mind and heart as an art and a science. She elaborated on the many types and tools of education such as news, speeches, conversation, social media, and how we communicate, such as writing, speaking, and giving feedback. She then emphasized the three goals of effective communication: provoking the audience to Feel, Think, and Respond. She shared great examples of effective communication, from the Coca-Cola ad from the 2010 World Cup, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech to the UK Parliament, and the work of Humphrey alumna Itzel Morales. In this way, Fellows were exposed to a range of examples from large companies like Coca-Cola, to world leaders, to a Humphrey alumna who is not trained as a communicator but does so very effectively in her work as a climate leader in Mexico. Ms. Crane highlighted Ms. Morales’ website, LinkedIn profile, and her use of Facebook as a way to have fun while talking about climate change. Ms. Crane stated, “I talk about Ms. Morales as the final example to help Fellows see excellent communication as something that is achievable by anyone.” After each example, the Fellows moved into breakout sessions to discuss what they felt, thought, and learned about the communication strategies. Fellows asked many questions about cross-cultural communication and reflected on the challenges of communicating in multiple languages without losing the true meaning of what is being expressed in the original language. Ms.Crane then ended the session by challenging the Fellows to think critically about their own communication and which areas they want to strengthen.

Before joining the Humphrey Fellowship staff, Ms.Crane worked as a Marketing Consultant for multiple international nonprofits and businesses based in Nashville after spending six years working in Uganda. As someone who loves to communicate and has ten years of experience working in marketing, communications, and international development, she was keen to engage with the Fellows on this topic.
Alumni Highlights
Humphrey alumnus Dr. Shaho Saeed at the Muscat International Book Fair 2022 in Oman, exhibiting his newly published books.
Humphrey alumnus Dr. Shaho Saeed authored three books in Arabic, published by the Ebjad Foundation. The books have been exhibited for the first time at the Muscat International Book Fair 2022 in Oman. Dr. Shaho focuses on contemporary issues of Arab literary criticism with a translation of one of the most famous Kurdish poems in the modern era. The translated book titles include “Dialogue between Philosophy and Narrative: A Phenomenological Approach to the Philosophical Focalization of Novel,” “The Narration of the Kurdish Absurdity: Identity Anxiety in Salim Barakat’s Novels,” and “The Colorful Flask: Translation with an Introduction of Sherko BeKas’ Poem.” Overall, Dr. Saeed’s books are very important studies of Kurdish and Arab culture. Fadel Thamer, Arab critic and the President of the Union of Writers in Iraq, shares, “it is perhaps the best critical study in Kurdish academic criticism throughout its modern history.”

Dr. Saeed was a Humphrey Fellow at Pennsylvania State University from 2018-2019. He is an Assistant Professor of Modern Criticism and Arabic Literature and holds a Ph.D. in Modern Criticism, M.A. in Comparative Literature, and B.A. in Theology and Islamic Studies. He has experience teaching, translating, and researching since 2000.
Left to Right: Humphrey alumnae Dr.Joseline P. Niwane, Evelyn Nacario-Castro, and Frances Rose Elgo-Mamaril.
Congratulations to Humphrey alumnae Dr.Joseline P. Niwane, Evelyn Nacario-Castro, and  Frances Rose Elgo-Mamaril on their recent appointments! Dr. Niwane will serve as the new Undersecretary for Policy and Plans of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). In this role, she will provide overall supervision, policy direction, and input in the management and operations of DSWD’s policy and plans development and the implementation of programs and services for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized sectors of society. Dr. Niwane was a Humphrey Fellow at the University of Washington from 2001-2002.

Ms.Nacario-Castro was appointed Assistant Regional Director for the National Economic and Development Authority Region III, Central Luzon. As Assistant Regional Director, she will be at the forefront of catalyzing sustainable and inclusive development for Central Luzon by formulating and implementing fully integrated socio-economic policies, development plans, and programs. She is a development practitioner with more than 20 years of engagement in sustainable development with expert knowledge in the field of science and government administration. Ms.Nacario-Castro was a Humphrey Fellow at Cornell University from 1993-1994.

Ms.Frances Rose-Elgo-Mamaril is the new Director IV of the Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau at the Department of Health (DOH) in Manila. In this position, she develops the health sector policy, legislative and research agenda, and strategic plans for achieving national health goals. She directly oversees the health planning, policy, research, and legislative liaison divisions while also making recommendations to the Secretary of Health on matters about national health policies, plans, and programs. Ms.Frances Rose-Elgo-Mamaril was a Humphrey Fellow at Tulane University from 2011-2012. 
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The next newsletter will be released April 1, 2022. 
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