Global Health Experiential Fellowship (GHEF)
Video by: GHEF fellow Kwaku Frimpong
What is the GHEF?
The Global Health Experiential Fellowship (GHEF) is a five-week in-person experience for current or recently graduated undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, with opportunity to participate in additional virtual activities prior to and following your time in Uganda. Fellows will present their preliminary research findings at the annual Global Health Equity Symposium upon return in the Fall. Fellows will be mentored by global health practitioners, including Yale Medical School researchers and ETH directors Dr. Robert Rosenheck and Dr. Yang Jae Lee, and work alongside Ugandan undergraduate and masters level students on a high-impact research project in a key topic related to global health. Fellows have the chance to continue their work after the summer and publish a peer-reviewed publication on their research in a key topic related to global health.
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The goals of the fellowship are to promote intercultural understanding and provide exposure to collaborative and equitable global health practice, implementation science, and research.
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A recent review of the Global Health Experiential Fellowship found that both Ugandan and American fellows achieved significant growth in areas of career development, research skills, and cultural exposure. The program's success is highlighted in a paper submitted to the Annals of Global Health journal, co-authored by leaders in global health education such as Dr. Robert Rohrbaugh, Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine; Dr. Robert Rosenheck, Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health at the Yale School of Medicine; Dr. Peter Waiswa, Associate Professor of Public Health at Makerere University; Dr. Adam Brown, Professor of Psychology at the New School for Social Research; and Dr. Brandon Kohrt, Charles and Sonia Akman Professor of Global Psychiatry at George Washington University.
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To address any inquiries, we will have some opportunities for accepted and prospective fellows to speak with us listed above. In the meantime, please check out our Global Health Equity Symposium we held October 19th to hear more about what this summer's fellows have been working on!​
Watch our 12/8/24 Info Session to learn more!
Fellows will live and work in Mpunde Village, located in the heart of Eastern Uganda, in Buyende District, an area with limited paved roads, running water, or electricity infrastructure. This is an opportunity for motivated, passionate, high-achieving students to develop hands-on experience in global health, epidemiology and public health research.
As with all ETH projects, equity is a core value of the Global Health Experiential Fellowship. Americans and Ugandans working alongside one another fosters an environment of multicultural collaboration and builds a strong foundation for students from all backgrounds to become future leaders in global health.
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Many global health experiences, such as building a well or repainting a school, do not build your professional skills. ETH focuses on building transferable skills valuable in any profession, but particularly medicine, public health, implementation science, and research.
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Students will obtain hands-on research experience from ETH's network of global health experts. This summer, we are very excited to offer mentorship from global health researchers at Yale University and University of Bern.
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Fellows will also have the chance to continue their work by contributing to the manuscript writing and publishing process, and those who do so will receive co-authorship on a peer-reviewed research paper.
Sarah Ning (GHEF 2024)
"I think the best part about it was just being able to go out into the field and learn more about the stories of the people who live here, the struggles they faced, and how that kind of colors their experience with mental health."
Alyssa Walsh (GHEF 2021)
"The Fellowship definitely strengthened my professional skills. I would go back to Uganda in a heartbeat and I wish I could do the Fellowship all over again"
Talia Wagner (GHEF 2024)
"Coming away from this, I had not done any sort of qualitative research before, so just kind of getting a handle on what that really looks like and doing that sort of research is probably one of the biggest things I’ve learned in the context of this program."
Lindsey Skole (GHEF 2021)
"I learned so much about myself, learned about the world around me, learned so much about the best way to conduct research and make a difference in the world of global health."
Ethan Chang (GHEF 2024)
"I'm so glad I decided to come and that I applied... I've learned a lot while being here, in particular, the Ugandan lifestyle, which is completely different from the lifestyle I know at home."
Anoop Sunkara (GHEF 2021)
"My experience completely changed my persepctive on global health and through conversations with village members I learned the importance of working hand-in-hand with the community you are serving."