Schola Matovu has been appointed as Director for the College’s Global Learning Program. Matovu is a leader, nurse scientist, educator, and advocate whose work focuses on promoting health equity locally and internationally. Through a unique comparative lens, her research embodies the College’s research mission by bridging local and global perspectives, illuminating the resilience of grandparent caregivers in both Utah and Uganda. She frequently presents her research and initiatives locally, nationally, and internationally.
As a member of the U of U Health Global Health Council, Matovu contributes to shaping global health initiatives both within the university and across partner institutions. Through her active participation in site visits and engagements with visiting partners, she has helped strengthen existing collaborations and explore new opportunities to advance the College’s academic and research missions locally and internationally.
“Global learning invites us to step beyond our familiar environments and view health through a broader, more interconnected lens,” said Matovu. “When students, staff, and faculty engage with communities—both here in Utah and around the world—they expand their perspectives in ways that cultivate compassion, respect, and meaningful collaboration. This engagement encourages them to translate local insights, experiences, practice, and research into a deeper understanding that can inform meaningful impact across diverse settings. I am honored to continue advancing our global learning vision within and beyond the College of Nursing and to strengthen the connections that prepare our learners to lead with cultural humility, curiosity and purpose in an ever-changing and interconnected world.”
Within the College, Matovu continues to advance the vision for global learning by collaborating closely with expert faculty, dedicated staff, and engaged students on the Global Learning Committee. Through her leadership, the program strives to foster meaningful local and international engagement and cultivate impactful, sustainable global learning experiences.
In an increasingly multicultural and interconnected global community, the landscape of health care is changing. The College’s Global Learning Program supports students, faculty, and staff in meeting multifaceted global health needs both at home and abroad, while broadening their skills, perspectives, and cultural humility. Program goals are to:
Foster cultural humility: Prepare students to deliver culturally sensitive patient care worldwide.
Cultivate global nursing leaders: Equip participants to lead, advocate, and shape health equity initiatives.
Drive collaborative research: Engage in local and international projects that advance health at home and abroad.
Impact communities globally: Partner on sustainable solutions that improve health in underserved populations.
“The College values student participation in global learning activities, especially through our existing collaborations with universities in Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Mexico, Colombia, Asia, and Guatemala,” said Marla De Jong, PhD, RN, CCNS, FAAN, Dean of the College of Nursing. “With Matovu’s visionary leadership, the Global Learning Program is poised to deepen our commitment to health equity and cultural humility across borders. Together, we will empower the next generation of nurses and gerontologists to lead with compassion, curiosity, and global purpose.”