Tuesdays Abroad: ‘Extremely Rewarding’

by Ryan Clark and Lindsey Fiori
CHS Contributors

Sheila Clemens never thought she’d travel to a place like Copenhagen. 

But, through a chance meeting at a conference, the College of Health Sciences professor and research scientist did just that. 

Last fall, Clemens, PT, MPT, PhD — an Assistant Professor and Research Scientist in the Department of Physical Therapy — was hosted by a company called Bandagist Jan Nielsen A/S to teach a prosthetics rehabilitation course in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“I taught a full-day course on amputation, rehabilitation, and gait-training,” Clemens said. “I was also able to take time to sightsee and learn about the culture. It was interesting to experience how different healthcare is in Europe. For example, I came to see that different types of surgeons will perform amputations differently depending on the region. I also realized how they treat patients immediately after surgery is very dependent on the hospital.”

This month, the College of Health Sciences is featuring stories from students and faculty members who have had educational experiences overseas. We’re calling it Tuesdays Abroad — and we’re using this space to show just how influential these voyages can be.

Over the past year, the College has put an increased focus on Education Abroad, launching a CHS Global Initiatives website and emphasizing the benefits that an experience to a foreign country can add to one’s overall college experience. Studies show that students who participate reduce their time to degree, earn a higher GPA at degree, and are more likely to graduate in both four and six years.

And when professors are able to travel, they are able to further establish those international relationships, creating more opportunities for students while also learning themselves. 

“Yeah, it was extremely rewarding,” Clemens said. “I got to go to a place in the world I probably wouldn’t have traveled otherwise. I walked into a room with 30 therapists who knew what they’re doing, and I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to teach them anything new.”

That was not the case.  

“There were actually three or four experts from Denmark in the room who expressed that they were able to learn some new stuff from me,” she said. 

And of course, the little things made all the difference.  

“Something that struck me had to do with licorice,” Clemens said. “So apparently Scandinavians love black licorice, and they don’t consider anything that is not black to be licorice.”

And most Danes seemed to know their American geography, she said.  

“I was surprised by how many people knew where Kentucky was,” she said. “I have even had students I met in Florida who didn’t know where Kentucky was, so I was impressed.”

All in all, Clemens says if you have the opportunity to work or teach overseas, you need to take advantage of it.

“It was a really great experience,” she said.