CHICAGO

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing is launching its first educational venture into India.

In collaboration with the Maharashtra chapter of the Red Cross, Tehmi Grant Institute and Satara University, the UIC College of Nursing will establish a nursing education program at Bel-Air Hospital, Panchgani, next June.

The UIC partnership will develop M.S. and Ph.D. programs for nursing students at Satara University, which is affiliated with Bel-Air Hospital.

Founded to treat tuberculosis patients, Bel-Air Hospital is now internationally recognized for its work with HIV/AIDS. According to a feasibility study sponsored by the UIC College of Nursing's Global Health Leadership office, Bel-Air Hospital's strength as an HIV/AIDS care provider "may give it a unique and needed place in nursing education" in the west central state of Maharashtra.

Karen Solheim, postdoctoral fellow in public health, mental health and administrative nursing, and Beth Marks, research assistant director in disability and human development, led the study.

Minu Patel, visiting assistant professor of medical-surgical nursing at UIC, and his wife, Dr. Mehroo Patel, a retired family practice physician, have established the Minu K. and Mehroo M. Patel Endowment Fund for Advancement of Nursing in India.

"We recognize the bright future for Bel-Air," said Mehroo Patel, one of the collaborative program's founders. "The needs are financial, but not simply financial. People with knowledge and expertise have to come together and pour in their efforts."

For more information on the fund, contact Qin Fan, director of advancement at the UIC College of Nursing, (312) 996-1736; qinfan@uic.edu