Haiti: Global Health Fellowship
Country: Haiti
Closing date: 04 Oct 2013
The Medical Missionaries Global Health Fellowship offers two recent college graduates, graduate students, or professionals interested in global health the opportunity to gain experience in health care delivery in a developing country. Fellows spend one year in Thomassique, Haiti, working at St. Joseph’s Clinic, where they act as liaisons between Medical Missionaries—the US-based organization that built and funds the Clinic—and the Clinic’s all-Haitian staff. The Fellowship begins in June 2014 and ends in July 2015.
During their year in Haiti, Fellows serve as prime contact between Medical Missionaries’ U.S. headquarters and St. Joseph Clinic in Thomassique. They coordinate several health and community projects involving Community Health Workers, traditional birth assistants, mobile clinics, water purification, malnutrition, salt iodization, and education. Fellows also work with community leaders to implement innovative health programs in Thomassique and six outlying villages. Fellows also fulfill a variety of administrative functions, including medication tracking, helping organize the Clinic and facilitating logistics for visiting teams of U.S. physicians and surgeons. In addition to these responsibilities, Fellows have the opportunity to design and implement projects of their own; shadow the Clinic’s physicians, midwives, and nurses; work in the Clinic’s laboratory and pharmacy; and assist U.S. surgeons during their visits. All necessary training will be provided.
Fellows live with Clinic staff in a residence adjacent to the Clinic. All living expenses are covered by Medical Missionaries, including a bedroom, meals, wireless satellite Internet access, a washing machine, and potable water and emergency evacuation insurance. Medical Missionaries also pays for Fellowship-related transportation costs for the Fellows, including up to two return trips to the States for periods of two to three weeks. This arrangement is ideal for individuals who are applying to graduate schools, including medical school, during the year and need to return to the country for interviews. Fellows should be prepared to live in a rural, underdeveloped setting. They also should expect to be the only foreigners in Thomassique for most of the year.
New Fellows will participate in an online seminar taught by former Fellows using case studies from Harvard’s Global Health Delivery Project. This will be an opportunity to connect with the network of former Fellows and gain exposure to the challenges and obstacles Fellows will face in Thomassique. Time commitment will be 3-4 hours every month in the spring.
For a personal account of the Fellowship experience and in-depth descriptions of the health and community projects, visit the current Fellows’ blog at http://thomassique.blogspot.com. To find out more information about Medical Missionaries please visit http://medmissionaries.org/.
Please direct questions to mmghfellows@gmail.com .
How to apply:
Learn more about the fellowship and download a primary application at http://www.medmissionaries.org/id208.html. Primary applications must be sent to mmghfellows@gmail.com by October 4th, 2013.
