Preparing for the Future of Health, Safety, Security, and Risk Management in Education Abroad 

The Forum on Education Abroad's annual Institute on Health, Safety, Security and Risk Management (Health & Safety Institute) is the premiere event for education abroad professionals focused on risk management issues. 

In 2025, The Forum will host its 16th Institute to continue providing attendees with tools to strengthen institutional and organizational strategies for risk mitigation, incident prevention, emergency response, and overall well-being for education abroad participants. 

The goals of the Institute are to: 

• Explore Emerging Trends: Engage with new and innovative approaches to health, safety, security, and risk management, both within education abroad and from other industries and fields. 
• Strengthen Safety and Security: Identify strategies that further enhance the well-being and security of education abroad participants. 
• Meet the Standards of Good Practice: Provide tools and resources to help organizations meet the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad through case studies, examples of best practices, and critical analysis of requirements. 

​Hosted by:

Call for Proposals 

The Health & Safety Institute 2025 will focus on the future of health, safety, security, and risk management, and we invite proposals that explore how professionals can anticipate and adapt to evolving challenges in this critical area. As the world continues to change, what will the future demand of us to ensure the highest standards in education abroad programming? 

NEW in 2025: In response to prior Institute attendee feedback, we are pleased to introduce a new session format for the in-person Institute: Tabletop Drill Exercises. Proposals for 90-minute tabletop drill exercises that address practical responses to specific scenarios will be considered for three concurrent sessions. 

The deadline to submit session proposals is January 27, 2025. 

Learn More and Submit Your Proposal

Registration

Registration for the Health & Safety Institute 2025 will open in March. Check back here for more information in the new year! ​

Template: Make the Ask

We get it—sometimes advocating for the opportunity to participate in professional development and conference experiences can be difficult…but you’re worth it! Download this Word doc template that includes an email to help you make the ask.

Registration and Travel Grants

The Sara’s Wish Foundation generously supports health and safety programming at The Forum on Education Abroad. The following grants are available to help organizations and individuals meet their education abroad health and safety objectives and attend the Health & Safety Institute.

Health & Safety Institute - Registration Grant

• Application opens: same day as HSI registration opening ​
• Application due: same day as the end of the early-bird registration period 
• Priority given to Forum member from Minority Serving Institutions with limited professional development resources 
• Selections made by a committee of Forum staff chaired by the Director of Programs and Training 

Health and Safety Institute Attendance Grant. This annual institute is a mini conference focused exclusively on health and safety in education abroad. Senior risk managers and education abroad directors attend this 1.5-day conference to share best practices and develop new protocols to respond to the health and safety needs of students traveling abroad.   ​

Application Opening Soon

Health & Safety Institute - Travel Grant

• Application opens: same day as HSI registration opening 
• Application due: same day as the end of the early-bird registration period 
• Priority given to Forum member from Minority Serving Institutions with limited professional development resources 
• Awards may cover some or all of the proposed travel budget submitted 
• Selections made by a committee of Forum staff chaired by the Director of Programs and Training 

Travel Grants for the Health and Safety Institute for individuals from Minority Serving Institutions with limited professional development resources. 

Application Opening Soon

Sponsorship Opportunities

The Forum offers unparalleled opportunities for visibility to audiences across the education abroad and global learning space. To sponsor this or one of our other events please visit our Institute Sponsorship Opportunities page. 

2025 Committee Members

Special thanks to our Health & Safety Insittute Committee for their guidance in preparing for the 2025 Institute.

• Shaun Jamieson, Iowa State University (Co-Chair)
• Kyle Rausch, University of Illinois Chicago (Co-Chair)
• Marissa Lombardi, The Forum on Education Abroad
• Mala Gosh, Tufts University
• Kelly Trail, Allegiant Global Partners
• Ashley Courney, Columbia University
• Kelly Nichols, Kennesau State University
• Seth Tucker, Syracuse University
• Ashlan Andres, The University of South Carolina
• Kevin Dostal Dauer, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• Julie Pollard, University of California Education Abroad Program
• Jordan Viars-Whisinnand, Duke University
• Chris Fuglestad, University of Chicago
• Matthew Rader, IES Abroad
• Kim Priebe, UCEAP
• Lishanthi Caldera, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Nancy Tumbarell, CEA CAPA Education Abroad
• Michelle Dube, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Christopher Cook, University of Denver