When Julia Luvizutto began exploring international learning opportunities as an undergraduate Nursing student in Brazil, she had no idea how the experience would change the course of her career as an aspiring researcher.

Thanks to the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP), Luvizutto was able gain global research experience at Brock University. ELAP provides opportunities for students from Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Mexico to study or research at Canadian institutions for a period of four to six months.

With support from the program, and an invitation to work with Associate Professor of Nursing Vanessa Silva e Silva, the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) student traveled to Brock in September 2023.

As well as both being from Brazil, Silva e Silva and Luvizutto also share an interest in studying critical care, organ donation and transplantation, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care.

During her ELAP exchange, Luvizutto volunteered as research assistant for two of Silva e Silva’s national research projects — Burnout and Resilience in Organ Donor Coordinators and Education in Donation and Transplantation Certificate program. She continued to collaborate with Brock researchers after going home to Brazil in February 2024.

Earlier this year, Luvizutto completed a master’s in Nursing at UFSCar and landed a full-time Research Assistant position working with Silva e Silva and Assistant Professor Amina Silva. In her current role, she supports research focused on improving the quality of health-care programs and developing health-care educational technologies using AI and 360-degree virtual reality simulation.

Looking back, Luvizutto says what began as a dream to study in Canada became the foundation for her emerging international research career.

“The greatest value of international research is the knowledge I carried with me back home,” she said. “My experience at Brock gave me the confidence and skills to keep collaborating across borders, strengthening the research relationship between Canada and Brazil.”

During her time on campus as an ELAP participant, Luvizutto sought every opportunity to grow as a researcher and communicator. She audited undergraduate nursing lectures and participated in English as a Second Language programming through Brock International, Global Scholars activities, research symposia and workshops focused on academic reading, writing and speaking.

“Presenting my research in English was terrifying at first,” she said. “The expectations for academic writing differed significantly from those in Brazil, requiring me to rethink not only how I wrote but also how I communicated research.”

Luvizutto immersed herself in campus and community life, forming friendships with students from around the world through Brock’s International Centre and Faith and Life Centre.

She also participated in The Canadian Library — a living art installation honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people as well as children who did not return home from residential schools — which deepened her understanding of Indigenous history and reconciliation work in Canada.

Those experiences inspired Luvizutto to publish an article in the Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing with Silva e Silva and Laís Fumincelli of UFSCar reflecting on how international academic exchanges strengthen research skills, intercultural communication and therapeutic communication skills.

Their paper argues that the benefits of international exchanges extend beyond individual participants by fostering lasting collaboration between institutions and countries.

“One of the core pillars of my research program, and a key priority aligned with Brock University’s strategic plan, is fostering meaningful international partnerships,” said Silva e Silva. “Julia’s experience is an excellent example of how these collaborations create reciprocal benefits for both institutions.”

Beyond supporting ELAP students, Silva e Silva is heavily involved in internationalization efforts at Brock’s School of Nursing, including the development of strategic partnerships with three additional Brazilian institutions.

“These collaborations will expand opportunities for student and faculty mobility, collaborative research and knowledge exchange between Canada and Brazil,” she said.

Faculty members interested in learning more about ELAP can contact Brock International at [email protected]