Global Health Comparative: Virtual Internship

I had the opportunity of participating in the CFHI Virtual Program for Ghana. Through this program, I gained much insight and exposure to what Ghana's healthcare system is like, as well as the societal, political, economic, and cultural factors that contribute to their identity as a country today. The nuances and intersections in much categories was insightful to learn about as well as their rich culture. I learned so much through the activities, modules, and discussions we had in groups with the program director. Overall, I learned to apply many skills and came out with so much learned about Ghana, its identity as a country, its people, and more. I was able to gain a better perspective and understanding of important health issues prevalent in many countries such as the AIDS/HIV epidemic along with numerous communicable and non-communicable diseases.

This experience is perfect for those curious about global health and looking to further their knowledge through the lens of a particular country. During the program, you have the opportunity to learn from the perspective of your program host and create a relationship both with the host and your classmates, who all bring valuable perspectives. The program also allows the opportunity to collaborate with students from other programs and backgrounds, which creates a wonderful atmosphere to learn about some important general topics in global health. Each expert was engaging and welcoming, inspiring creativity and curiosity in all students! I felt comfortable to ask my program host anything and feel comfortable to reach out after the program about more opportunities for furthering my knowledge. I would recommend this program to someone with a hunger to know what the field of global health is all about, and to those who want to open their minds to health care in a global context

I had the wonderful opportunity to expand my knowledge and awareness about cultural differences, and how to have better interpersonal communication. They provided me with great tools to learn about professionalism and intercultural effectiveness within the global health field during my 4-week virtual internship. I really enjoy the space they created for us to meet doctors and professionals from all over the world to bring awareness to disparities within health systems and global issues. Their realities and how it is important to dig deeper to understand how we can make a change was a great start to learning how to support my own community. I enjoyed learning about my country of choice from home and found it very meaningful to learn about its culture and traditions. I feel more confident now approaching and communicating with people from different backgrounds and plan to use the tools from CFHI throughout my career working internationally.

I never thought virtual experience can be this enriching until I participated in the internship program by CFHI. They made sure to make this virtual space the most engaging and interacting one. Everything starting from the correspondence, timely response and process of selection is highly appreciable. The program, discussions and content gave me Public and Global Health perspectives from a lens I had never imagined. This experience had definitely added value to my professional and academic journey by allowing me to explore different health care systems in an innovative manner. I can't thank them enough for the opportunity and the hard work they do in making this experience valuable for students.

My name is Michaela Forouzan and I was very fortunate to be a part of the April Virtual Program focusing on the nation of India. Throughout this program, I have learned from a series of health and global professionals about illnesses throughout India. At the end of the session, I was able to apply all my knowledge through the creation of a presentation that I believed to medical professionals. It was absolutely amazing to receive such great feedback and inspiration from these medical professionals, and apply my knowledge to the future of global health.

As a young aspiring African intern of the CFHI Global Health Comparative Virtual Internship, and a national of a Low Resource Country (Burundi), I would highly recommend the program to more college graduates in the relevant fields of public health as well as any entry-level professionals to participate in the virtual internship with the CFHI to gain ground in the ins-and-outs of how international NGOs promote health for all and intervene holistically in sometimes-familiar settings as the ones I come from; while gaining cultural exposure and learning to team work with like-minded global health professionals

The internship taught me that sometimes less is better. As a prospective global health professional born and raised in Africa but educated at a medical college outside the continent, I had to experience major incongruities between the theoretical framework of medicine and the efforts needed to implement health equity in hospital settings and community health services. To understand how this gap applies less extensively in the social and economic settings of African LMICs, I had to surmise how the fine line between the two fields affect health delivery and outcomes, and how I can participate in bettering the healthcare systems of my continent in the near future.

Due to the short-bits format of the teachings I received during Dr. Charles Nwobu’s online lectures in Ghana, Dr. Hema Pandey from India, as well as the Director’s Seminars and multinational Global Health Roundtables, I was able to capture the essence of cultural effectiveness and adaptability as the bases of successful collaborative efforts to bring affordable and accessible healthcare for all. Additionally, as an intern under the Outpatient & Community Health Services Department of Village Health Works—an international NGO based in New York and Burundi, I am now using the knowledge I acquired to help build self-reliant community health systems in Kigutu, one of the most remote regions of the country.

I am grateful to have been awarded the Thomas Hall Scholars Program scholarship for the virtual internship and hope to see more young aspiring global health professionals enroll in the different programs CFHI has to offer.

It has been such a privilege being awarded CFHI and AMSA’s Global Health Scholarship to participate in the Virtual Global Health Comparative. The weekly Director Seminars and Roundtables (and just being amongst some of the world’s global health leaders) were inspiring examples of how I can contribute my academic background and experience in the field. Dr. Charles Nwobu’s mentorship provided such invaluable insight not only into Ghana, but the universal applicability of healthcare challenges to other cultures and populations. And lastly, discussions with fellow interns ultimately gave me hope. It is comforting to know that a growing number of the incoming generation of global health professionals and medical practitioners are equipped with the cultural competence and intersectional understanding necessary to tackle the world’s numerous crises. I have always wanted to work with CFHI due to their admirable sustainable model and infrastructure, and I look forward to participating in programs in the future!

The CFHI organization is fantastic! I was drawn to them during a Conference when I visited their booth and met the Director. I enjoyed my experience in the Global Health Comparative Virtual Internship in Ecuador! From the virtual tours to the cooking session to Spanish classes, it felt like I was indeed there. The coordinators organized it well, and the teachers were genuinely interested in the students. There was another aspect with interactive modules focused on developing Cross-Cultural Effectiveness & Adaptability, which helped me self-reflect and build on my cultural competency skills. Then there were the discussions with CFHI leaders from different countries, which was very informative. For each public health challenge, we would learn about the obstacles in each country, how they impact the people, and reflect on our roles as future leaders. We also had interactive seminars which challenged our thought process and preconceived notions about Global Health, culture, and health. This program was beneficial and aligned with my goals!