Global Health Fellowship Curriculum

Global Health Fellowship Curriculum Involves Three Facets:

1. The international field work at International Medical Corps sites
2. The formal MPH with concentration in Biostatistics
3. MPHP 540 (Global Health, Emergency Relief, and International Development) taught as a required class for fellows during their MPH degree. Designed specifically for the UHCMC/IMC fellowship by experts in the field

International Field Work (5 Months)*:

International Medical Corps currently works in over 25 countries and has several hundred active international development projects. Each fellow will spend at least 5 months overseas at an International Medical Corps site to learn the learn the practical issues, existing framework, and current guidelines surrounding international emergency response and medical relief work.

Masters of Public Health Degree (Longitudinally over 2 Years):

During the course of the two-year fellowship, each fellow will earn an MPH degree with a concentration in Global Health, taught within the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Case Western Reserve University. For the fellowship and the MPH degree, each fellow will be expected to initiate and complete a research project that will positively impact and contribute to the field of Global Emergency Medicine. Beyond publication, the research project will allow the fellows to refine their skillsets in research, ethics, statistical methodology and critical, multidisciplinary problem solving. These skills are crucial for preparing the fellow to effectively approach future problems in international field work with both the mindset of a physician-scientist, as well as the heart and spirit of a global citizen.

Required Course for Fellows: Mphp 540 (40 Hours):

Through a standard curriculum of formal lectures, workshops, readings and international field work, the fellow will gain essential knowledge and skills in the areas of needs assessments, logistics, water/sanitation (WASH), security, as well as how programs are monitored and evaluated. The fellow will also understand how to set up a field hospital and a field lab in a post-disaster situation, and have a firm understanding of the international standards used in the field of emergency relief work, including the SPHERE Guidelines, the Geneva Conventions, and the Declaration of Human Rights. Given the interest and training of the Fellowship Director and Associate Fellowship Director, there will be a strong emphasis on infectious and communicable diseases and tropical medicine in the international relief setting as well.

*Practical field work will take part through partnership with International Medical Corps, a global humanitarian non-profit medical relief agency with emergency relief and development projects in over 30 countries (www.imcworldwide.org). Each fellow will spend 5 months in the field at International Medical Corps sites over the course of the two-year fellowship to gain real world experience in emergency relief and to apply the concepts learned in the classroom.