Editor’s note: This article is made possible through a partnership between GSU’s Office of International Initiatives (OII) and Global Atlanta.
For more than three decades, a specialized health sciences program at Georgia State University has quietly served as a pipeline connecting Atlanta to hospitals and universities across Saudi Arabia, training respiratory therapy leaders who return home to educate the next generation and advance patient care.
Led by longtime faculty member Doug Gardenhire, chair of respiratory therapy and assistant dean of international initiatives at GSU’s Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, the program has attracted a steady stream of Saudi students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s and now doctoral degrees. The students are often sponsored by their universities or government agencies with the expectation they will return to teach.
Today, those alumni populate respiratory therapy departments across Saudi Arabia, where the profession itself was still emerging when the first students arrived in Atlanta in the 1980s.
“They sometimes say, ‘You’re like the father of U.S. respiratory therapy in Saudi,’” Dr. Gardenhire said. “Many of the early students became bridge builders who helped establish programs and curricula in their country.”
A rare full-degree pathway
Georgia State is one of the few institutions globally offering the full academic ladder in respiratory therapy — bachelor’s through PhD — and the only one in the United States with all three degrees in a single program. That breadth has made it a magnet internationally, even as the specialty has grown in visibility since the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the role of ventilator-trained clinicians.
Respiratory therapists specialize in heart-lung care from newborns to elderly patients. Demand has surged worldwide due to respiratory disease prevalence and pandemic-era workforce burnout, and in Atlanta, graduates often receive job offers exceeding $100,000 at entry level, according to program leaders.
Saudi Arabia has become the largest source of international students not only in respiratory therapy but across Georgia State’s Lewis College. International students typically pay significantly higher tuition than in-state peers and contribute a broader economic impact through housing, family relocation and local spending.
From clinicians to faculty
The Saudi pipeline reflects the evolution of healthcare education in the Kingdom. Decades ago, Saudi Arabia relied heavily on imported physicians and clinicians. As the country built its own health education system, demand grew for faculty with advanced credentials.
Many Saudi respiratory therapists now complete bachelor’s degrees at home, work clinically or teach, then pursue graduate study abroad to qualify for faculty advancement. Georgia State’s new PhD program — launched two years ago — is already enrolling Saudi respiratory therapists seeking terminal degrees required for academic promotion.
“Many are already educators when they come,” Dr. Gardenhire said. “They earn the MS or doctorate and go back to expand programs and train more students.”
Current doctoral student and GSU alumnus Ali Alqahtani said Georgia State’s reputation and faculty mentorship drew him to Atlanta.
“The program offers a supportive, academically rigorous environment with accessible faculty and strong mentorship,” he said. “It has expanded my perspective on respiratory care beyond clinical practice and into scholarship, leadership and innovation.”
After graduation, he plans to return to Saudi Arabia to strengthen respiratory therapy education and research programs.
Another doctoral student and GSU alumnus, Abdulmajeed Baogbah, said Georgia State’s academic rigor and faculty reputation among Saudi respiratory therapy educators strongly shaped his decision to pursue both master’s and doctoral training in Atlanta.
“Several Saudi graduates of the program had been my instructors and preceptors,” he said. “They provided firsthand evidence of its strong mentorship culture and academic standards, which aligned with my goal of an academic and research-focused career.”
Enduring ties without formal agreements
Unlike some international education pipelines built on institutional partnerships, the Saudi-Georgia State connection has developed organically through alumni networks and professional reputation. Former students often refer colleagues to the program, and Dr. Gardenhire remains in contact with graduates through professional and personal networks.
During a recent visit to Saudi Arabia, he encountered a former student — now a respiratory therapy professor teaching pharmacology — who introduced him to her own students as a mentor figure in her career path.
Despite visa constraints and reduced scholarship funding in recent years, Saudi enrollment has remained steady, with roughly 10–15 students entering each semester compared with 25 at peak levels five to seven years ago.
Atlanta–Saudi healthcare links
The exchange extends beyond academia. Saudi students complete clinical training in Atlanta hospitals, gaining experience with advanced equipment and protocols they later apply in Saudi healthcare systems.
Meanwhile, global medical device companies with Atlanta operations also serve Middle Eastern markets, creating overlap between education, healthcare delivery and industry.
Through professional organizations such as the American Association for Respiratory Care, Georgia State faculty like Dr. Gardenhire have also helped advise respiratory therapy programs in Saudi universities, further expanding the field internationally.
A specialized global niche
Respiratory therapy as a distinct profession exists primarily in the U.S., Saudi Arabia and a limited number of other countries; in much of Europe, related care is divided among physicians, physiotherapists and nurses. That alignment with the U.S. medical model has made Georgia State’s program especially relevant for Saudi educators building American-style curricula.
As Saudi Arabia continues expanding domestic health education capacity, Dr. Gardenhire expects the flow of students to continue, sustaining a long-standing academic bridge between Atlanta and the kingdom.
“We’ve always been first in many aspects of respiratory therapy education,” he said. “Because of that, people around the world seek us out.”
Learn more about GSU’s Respiratory Therapy programs at https://lewis.gsu.edu/rt/
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