Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:
With respect to the Spectator account of plans for a Columbia Global Center in Kazakhstan, it is critical that readers understand the productive efforts underway in that region of the world, especially by the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia, which has been flourishing and advancing its research, education, and training mission toward the implementation of evidence-based, sustainable solutions to emerging social and public health issues in the Central Asia region. The Center was established by the School of Social Work more than four years ago. It has generated nearly seven million dollars for research, training, and education, involves more than 15 Columbia faculty from different schools and departments, and continues to grow. The Center is a training, research, and educational hub for undergraduate and graduate students from all over Columbia with student and faculty exchanges and visits. It conducts research trainings for Central Asia government and university partners. It has offices in New York at Columbia, in Kazakhstan in Almaty, and in Astana, and regional representatives in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia.

Jeanette Takamura
Dean of the School of Social Work
Columbia University

Ken Prewitt
Vice-President for Global Centers
Carnegie Professor of Public Affairs

Nabila El-Bassel
The Willma and Albert Musher Professor of Social Work
Director of the Global Health Research Center for Central Asia

Correction: A previous version of this letter misstated one of Nabila El-Bassel's titles.