Ana Aguilera (CAS’13, SPH’15) spent the spring dodging landslides and screening coffee plantation workers in Peru for cervical cancer. Peter Hynes (SPH’15) worked all summer traveling dusty roads in Tanzania to improve water resources for rural villagers. Erika Crable (SPH’15) studied the impact of the dual health scourge of obesity and type 2 diabetes on the Mexican economy.

Although these School of Public Health students were in different countries studying different aspects of public health, all had in common a fellowship program that has helped them and more than 150 of their peers study abroad and gain essential career experience they describe as inspiring and transformative.

Over the past four years, a collaboration between Boston University and Santander Universities, a division of one of the world’s largest banking firms, has nurtured public health study in 29 countries as well as an advanced physics research partnership between BU and the National University of Singapore and cultural exchange and literacy programs in Boston.

On September 4, 2014, representatives from the bank and BU signed a three-year extension and expansion of a 2010 agreement to provide support for student fellowships and research projects.

“We’re delighted that our support has helped so many students learn firsthand about health programs in other countries,” says Roman Blanco, president and CEO of Santander US. “We’re excited to build upon our relationship with Boston University by adding new components.”

Half of the grant signed in September will continue funding the Santander Fellows Program, which provides about 45 annual stipends in three programs: for low- and moderate-income students, for students pursuing health care research in Latin America, and for a field practice program in Kenya.

The practice opportunities are critical for School of Public Health students, who are required to spend at least one semester on an intensive practicum to gain firsthand knowledge. The costs can be daunting for students interested in global health. The stipends often pay the bulk of airfare, ground transportation, and housing for the semester-long practicum.

Gathering to mark the extension of the BU–Santander Universities collaboration are (from left) Tracey Johnson, Santander AVP, BU President Robert A. Brown, Santander fellows Kerri Lipton (SPH’15) and Ana Aguilera (CAS’13, SPH’15), Roman Blanco, president and CEO of Santander US, and Kim Williams, Santander Boston Metro senior district executive. Photo by Cydney Scott

Another grant will launch the Santander Sophomore Summer Internship Program, a new initiative to expand opportunities for Boston University undergraduates to get workplace experience and improve their readiness for the labor market. At the heart of this program is a career development workshop to prepare students for their summer experience, as well as student stipends to fund unpaid internships.

Rich Feeley, an SPH associate professor and chair ad interim of the global health department, says the Santander Fellows Program is a vitally important program for students, “not just at SPH, but around BU, to do first-rate practica around the world. It’s a tremendous opportunity to obtain a high-quality training experience for the future leaders of public health.”

The original 2010 agreement has grown over the years. It was later amended to fund advanced physics research in graphene and extended further in 2013 for additional SPH fellowships and the Hispanic Voices cultural exchange program.

Feeley says the most recent expansion of the program allows SPH to “meet the growing needs among our increasing number of students, but more importantly, it allows us to initiate new opportunities with new partners around the world. We look forward to developing deeper relationships with Santander Universities and their global affiliates to expand our engagement to other countries where Santander is working.”

Banco Santander created Santander Universities in 1996 to promote higher education as a way of contributing to economic and social development. Since its inception, Santander Universities has disbursed about $1.3 billion to more than 1,100 academic institutions in 20 countries.