Student Global Health Internships
We offer two different types of global health internships. You can either apply to work on a project that we have identified collaboratively with our international partners, or you can identify a partner organization and design a project with them. In both cases, the projects must be in response to a community priority.
1) Summer global public health internships for M1’s:
The Center for Global Health Equity partners with the Dickey Center’s Global Health Initiative to offer leave-term internships to undergraduates and summer internships to medical students between their M1 and M2 years. These internships allow you to work with one of our established overseas partners on a priority project identified by the partner organization.
These internships are administered by the Dickey Center and more information including application deadlines can be found here: https://dickey.dartmouth.edu/student-opportunities/internships/global-health-internship.
2) Co-designed, Community-based Internships (CCI)
CGHE directly administers the Co-designed Community-based Internship (CCI) which enables students to actively engage with domestic or international partners in interdisciplinary education, research, advocacy, or clinical opportunities that promote health equity in local and global environments. The goal of this internship is to help professional and graduate students gain a perspective of the health disparities that impact underserved populations and the care they receive. The funding level estimates are as follows:
4-5 weeks – $3200
6-7 weeks – $3500
8 weeks – $4000
Please note that these are estimated funding caps. Fees, costs, and stipends may vary with location and project.
Application deadlines are 11:59 PM on September 15 and March 15 (see table below for more details)
Requirements
The ideal CCI makes a sustainable and meaningful contribution to an international community through engagement in research and/or service. Successful applicants demonstrate how that experience will develop their capacity to provide high quality, culturally competent care as future physicians. To that end, internship electives/experiences should include one or more of the Internship Guidelines below.
NOTE: Proposed projects must have a start date of at least three months after the submission deadline.
Recommended Project Components
- Hands-on community development
- Some degree of public health or patient education
- An assessment of the delivery of clinical care in a low-income country. Pre-clinical students are encouraged to participate at some level in clinical care, but that should not be the principal focus of their experience.
- Data collection that is required for planning or evaluating health services or assessing the distribution of disease and the factors that influence that distribution.
Service Element
In reviewing CCI applications, electives/experiences will be ranked in part on what the student hopes to leave behind that will be of value to the people served; this service element is a requirement of all projects.
NOTE: The CGHE complies with the official travel policy of Dartmouth in that it does not fund travel to any country on the State Department's travel warning list. Students can seek a waiver by applying to the Provost's Office.
Requests for domestic cross-cultural projects will be considered on a case-by-case basis. An international internship should develop your ability to communicate comfortably with individuals from other cultures and to understand the processes for addressing international healthcare issues that confront nations. Students ideally should be familiar with the language of the country in which they want to intern. Projects must include an in-country duration of no less than 6 weeks if occurring during the summer break between M1 and M2 years, and no less than 4 weeks if occurring as part of an elective during M3 or M4 years. MPH student projects can range from 4 to 6 weeks in-country.
For the project's duration, students must submit a weekly reflection and photos about their progress, which should be 1-2 paragraphs (≈100 - 250 words). Following completion of the project/internship, students are required to submit a 2-3 page report detailing their work and how it has enriched their capability as a future healthcare provider. This report can be used as a blog post for CGHE's website - see previous student blogs here. Finally, they must prepare a public presentation and poster about their project and agree to participate in workshops or informational sessions related to their internship.
NOTE: There are two application deadlines each year, March 15th and September 15th. Proposed projects must have a start date of at least three months after the submission deadline. Therefore, if you apply by the September 15th deadline, your proposed project must start and end anytime between December 15th of the year you apply and June 15th of the following year. If you apply by the March 15th deadline, your proposed project must start and end anytime between June 15th and December 15th of the year you apply. Please be mindful of the minimum location stay when selecting dates to conduct your proposed project to ensure it falls within the abovementioned timeframes.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Annually* |
PERIODS COVERED | MEDICAL STUDENTS
Required location stay |
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Required location stay |
September 15th | December 15th – June 15th | 6 weeks minimum | 4-6 weeks minimum |
March 15th | June 15th – December 15th | 6 weeks minimum | 4-6 weeks minimum |
*If either deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday, the application will be due the next business day.
For more information about applying for summer global health opportunities, listen to this informational session presented by the Center for Global Health Equity Director, Dr. Lisa V. Adams, recorded in February 2022.
Application
To apply for funding, a complete application must be submitted online by the deadline posted. A complete application contains the following: 1) Application, 2) Faculty Sponsor Statement Form, and 3) Site Sponsor Statement Form. You can preview the application here.
APPLY HERE: CO-DESIGNED COMMUNITY-BASED INTERNSHIP (CCI)
Application deadlines are 11:59 PM on September 15 and March 15 (see table above for more details)
It is advised that you submit your application early and do not wait until the deadline. The application will close at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). An application is considered INCOMPLETE if it does not include ALL items listed.
Contact the Center for Health Equity at the following email with any questions or issues: Center.for.Global.Health.Equity@dartmouth.edu