Interview with Professor Anette Wu, Associate Professor at Columbia University
From Surgeon to Global Educator: Anette Wu, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and Director of the International Collaboration and Exchange Program (ICEP), brings a rare combination of experience as a clinician, scientist, and educator to the international stage. After training and practicing in surgery and transplantation immunology, she transitioned to global medical education and science diplomacy, leveraging her clinical insights to design programs that prepare students for intercultural teamwork and global health challenges.
A frequent collaborator, she contributed significantly to this year’s DWIH New York theme, Global Health. In the interview, Wu reflects on how her multicultural background and diverse professional experiences shape her approach to international collaboration, shares her vision for equipping future physicians with the skills needed to navigate an increasingly interconnected world, and emphasizes the importance of science diplomacy in medical education.
You trained and practiced as a physician and surgeon before focusing on global medical education. What motivated your shift toward education and program development, and how has your clinical background shaped your approach to international collaboration?
I feel privileged to have worked as a clinician, scientist, educator and administrator full-time at different periods of my life. Very few peers in my field have worked in such capacities and have experienced different processes and cultural differences. My switch from clinical to public-health-related and science diplomacy work and education was a natural progression of my career after I completed my degree in Public Health. I spent a significant amount of my adult life training in Surgery and Transplantation Immunology which I enjoyed. My studies in Public Health widened my view on healthcare and medicine and opened new avenues for me to improve health for all people on a larger scale and with a different perspective on medicine. Bringing my experiences from my previous professional background and taking the approach of combining the best of each world definitely shaped my experience and the way I approached international collaborations. Knowing cultural differences and differences in organizational structures helped me establish my work.
How has working with DWIH NY advanced your mission of fostering international exchange in medical education?
The DWIH and ICEP share the same mission of Science Diplomacy as a goal for multilateral exchanges. There are not many organizations that work in Science Diplomacy intentionally, so it was important to find a partner with synergy and shared goals. We have hosted webinars together to bring awareness to Internationalization of Medical Education in 2024 and in 2025. The DWIH supported our global teamwork project(s) on healthy aging and more work is upcoming.
What is specifically important to demonstrate to our students (and others) is that work in Science Diplomacy is supported by the DWIH, a governmental sponsored agency and linking academic work with the larger picture of international understanding and global citizenship.
The ICEP program recently received the ASPIRE Award for International Collaboration in Health Professions Education. What does this recognition mean to you personally and professionally?
Receiving this award was humbling and encouraging. To be recognized by such an important organization underlines that ICEP has the support and recognition of medical educators.
I have been promoting Internationalization of Medical Education for many years as a distinct subject particularly after the global COVID pandemic – yet it has not been in the forefront of medical education until recently. Therefore, the recognition of my work and the spotlight on a program with a mission of Science Diplomacy and global collaboration was very rewarding for me personally. I just got appointed the co-chair for internationalization at the AMEE which gives me much hope and encouragement that we can work on formats and processes for this important topic on a much larger scale for the betterment of health for all people.
As a surgeon, you’ve worked in diverse medical environments. How do those experiences influence the way you design ICEP programs, particularly in preparing students for global health challenges and intercultural teamwork?
My personal and different professional experiences certainly play a significant role in how I design my teaching and ICEP’s fundamental framework. I was trained in Germany and the US and grew up in a multicultural environment. This broad exposure to organizational, interdisciplinary, and international cultures has given me a strong understanding of what students need to learn and experience.
Are there particular global health issues or professional skills you feel future physicians and health professionals must prioritize?
There are many global health issues and they will keep changing. What we need to do is to give our graduates the skills to approach these problems collectively. I have published an article on international teamworking skills that are important for global citizen physicians and that students need to acquire. Although not all skills are needed and applicable to all students a broader international understanding is quite important for work in our globalized world. These skills include cultural sensitivity, learning about different societal structures and values, history, healthcare systems and policies.