Two Fellowships with upcoming application deadlines: Donald M. Payne (USAID) and Global Health Corps

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, Internships and Fellowships

Below please find information about two fellowship programs that could be of interest to global health students, recent graduates, and new professionals.

Global Health Corps Fellowship: Positions available in Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and the U.S.
To be selected as a Global Health Corps fellow you must:

  • Be 30 or under at the start of the fellowship
  • Have an undergraduate university degree by July 2014
  • Be proficient in English

Application Timeline for the 2014-2015 Fellowship:

  • November 6, 2013: Part 1 of the application opens
  • December 6, 2013: Position descriptions posted online. Part 2 of the application opens
  • January 26, 2014: Applications close at 11:59pm EST
  • February 17, 2014: 2 recommendation forms and Proof of Identity and Proof of Education documents due
  • February – March 2014: Each application is reviewed by at least two readers
  • March 2014: up to 10 semi-finalists are selected for each fellowship position. All candidates are notified of their application status by email
  • March 2014: All semi-finalists are interviewed by Global Health Corps and 3-5 finalists per position are selected
  • March 2014-April 2014: All finalists are interviewed by the placement organizations
  • April-May 2014: Fellowship offers extended

Fellows come from a wide range of educational and professional backgrounds, as each individual fellowship position requires different specific skills. Make sure to check out our fellowship FAQs page.

USAID Donald M. Payne Fellowship (through Howard University)

The Payne Program is designed to attract outstanding young people to careers in international development as USAID Foreign Service Officers. The Payne Fellowship Program provides benefits valued at up to $90,000 over two years toward a two-year master’s degree, arranges internships on Capitol Hill and at USAID missions overseas, and provides professional development and support activities. Fellows who successfully complete the program become USAID Foreign Service Officers. Fellows may use the fellowship to attend a two-year master’s program in a U.S. institution to study an area of relevance to the USAID Foreign Service, including international development, international relations, public policy, business administration, foreign languages, economics, agriculture, environmental sciences, health, or urban planning at a graduate or professional school approved by the Payne Program. At the end of the two-year fellowship, Fellows enter the USAID Foreign Service. Applicants must be college seniors or graduates looking to start graduate school in the fall of the year they apply, have GPAs of at least 3.2 and be U.S. citizens. The program welcomes applications from those with any undergraduate major and encourages applications from members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the USAID Foreign Service and those with financial need. Information and application materials for the program are available at http://www.paynefellows.org.

Application deadline: January 27, 2014

Faster Internet = Better Healthcare: Video Review

by nsoleye, posted in APHA IH Section

There are tons of examples of how technology is transforming global health, including this recent video from The World Bank.

The Pacific region contains many countries with populations spread across large distances and the Kingdom of Tonga is one of them. Containing 170 islands, Tonga has unique development challenges. According to the video, there are only about 55 doctors in Tonga serving a population of 100,000. Medical assistants and nurse practitioners serve the areas outside the main islands, thus access to doctors is limited. Also, Internet in Tonga is very expensive and provides limited bandwidth.

To address these two issues, The World Bank, along with its partners, constructed an 827 kilometer underwater fiber optic cable that connects Tonga to the Southern Cross Cable Network via Fiji and helps improve Internet services. So what impact does this have on healthcare? Increased bandwidth allows hospitals and health professionals to get what they need, improves information collection, leads to better diagnoses, and allows them to liaise with partners overseas to ensure best treatment for patients.

We all recognize that technology has a strong impact on many aspects of our lives (for better or worse). The benefits associated with the intersection of technology and healthcare is very interesting and becomes even more interesting when you examine the effects it has in rural versus urban areas. This video clearly highlights work done in rural areas where access is a huge problem. Watching it reminded me of an article I read in the New York Times last year about a failed MNCH project. The project failed because researchers took a model that was successful in rural areas and tried to replicate it in an urban setting.

That said, when it comes to global health, some people believe there are greater gains to be had in rural areas where successes are “easier” to achieve and measure. What is your opinion?

United Nations Year in Review: Video

by nsoleye, posted in APHA IH Section

On December 19, the United Nations (UN) posted this compilation video highlighting major events, crises, and successes around the world. The video details the UN’s work throughout 2013 to “negotiate peace, instill hope, and define a sustainable future for all.” The first half of the video focuses largely on peacekeeping efforts, but around minute 10 it becomes more global health-related. From that point on, the video covers topics such as poverty, hunger, sanitation, and the environment. I would like to see a similar 2013 recap video from the World Health Organization. In the event they create one, we will post it on this blog.

What are some major global health crises and milestones that could be included in a 2013 recap video? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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UPDATE: As promised, here is the 2013 year in review video from the World Health Organization. Some topics were crowdsourced using social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook.

One thing I see missing is Ethiopia reaching MDG 4. And more generally, updates and progress towards the health-related MDGs. Did you contribute to this video through Facebook or Twitter? What else do you think should have been included?

Systems Thinking in Global Health: Video Review

by nsoleye, posted in APHA IH Section

Systems Thinking for Capacity in Health (ST4C Health) recently released a video in an attempt to start a revolution in global health. Dr. Chad Swanson narrates the video and begins with a personal story about his mission to Mozambique 12 years ago to understand “how people suffer and die on a personal level.” From his experiences on the trip, he concluded:

  • Global health interventions need to take into account all the associated contextual factors and underlying causes in order to change health systems
  • The current structure of global health approaches is inadequate and requires a systems thinking approach to make a real, lasting difference

On their website, ST4C Health defines systems thinking as “a novel, transformational way of thinking about and approaching health […] based on the idea that when all stakeholders and their interactions are considered as a whole, we can better understand health problems than we can when only viewing each part in isolation. Such an approach means that we must consider economic, political, and social factors – factors that might seem unrelated to health. Also, since health challenges are complex, and solutions differ depending on time and place, we cannot impose a top-down plan of action and expect predictable, positive results all the time.”

I don’t believe systems thinking is a novel idea. Rather, I believe this idea is generally understood and accepted in the global health field, however it’s definitely challenging to turn it into action. It’s much easier to focus solely on one disease or population at time. In fact, that’s how funding is distributed.

With limitations on time, human resources, finances and more, how can we stay focused on the big picture and supplement our current siloed efforts? What do you think it will take to make this revolution a reality?

Communicating Through Animation: Video Reviews

by nsoleye, posted in APHA IH Section

The two videos below, one from the WHO and the other from USAID, use cartoon animations to convey their messages. While I think the use of animation in global health videos is an interesting tactic, I wonder if it’s a more or less effective form of communication when compared to videos featuring real people. I understand the need to find alternative, non-traditional ways to communicate and share messages, but, personally, I don’t find it as compelling to watch the story of a cartoon character, even when it’s based on a true story. Since global health work is about the people impacted and lives saved, I think it’s nice to see both the challenges and results as they appear in reality.

The first video highlights some of the different ways the WHO improves our health on a daily basis. The second video celebrates World AIDS Day (today, December 1) and 10 years of PEPFAR with the story of Gift, a 10-year old girl whose family was impacted by HIV. Watch these two short videos and leave a comment to let us know how you feel about the use of animation.

WHO: Bringing Health to Life
World AIDS Day 2013: Gift’s Last 10 Years