Program Reviews

I did my first virtual internship with CFHI in August 2020. As a Master of Public Health student from India, it was a great learning opportunity for Public Health management in low resource settings of Uganda. Though it was completely online, Dr. Geoffrey literally walked me through the health burdens, health systems, pandemic management, and cultural aspects of Uganda. I developed a well informed critical thinking mindset to approach Global Health and Public Health from the grassroots/community level.
The entire CFHI team immensely helped to bridge the possible gap of cross-cultural differences. The quality of the internship teaching materials is so superior that I delved into multiple features of Public Health. Thankyou CFHI and the partner organization KIHEFO, Uganda, for that awesome Internship experience.

I interned with CFHI this summer, and although it was virtual, I learned a lot about global health, cultural competencies, and Ugandan culture. A great experience with Dr. G! It was great to learn more about other cultures and delve into that aspect. Dr. G was very peaceful and created a welcoming and happy environment which was great since the entire internship experience was done online. Child Family Health International is a great organization that cares a lot about teaching the interns! Great!

I participated in the Remote Island Medicine program in Quezon, Philippines. The entire process leading up to the trip was smooth and informative. I also appreciated that my capstone project topic was selected by the local hosts themselves and not by CFHI.

My experience in the Philippines went just as smoothly as the trip preparation. The hosts I was working with were excellent mentors, super ambitious and successful in their fields, and well connected as well. This meant that besides the rich knowledge and context they provided us, they were also able to provide additional experiences, like a visit to the WHO HQ. The experience helped me to begin to build an international professional network.

Besides the professional connections I made, I continue to cherish the personal ones I made even 2 years later. My host "family" and neighborhood friends, as well as the medical student traveling with me, enriched my experience and really helped push me into the culture. The time we had off to explore our surroundings and connect with the community provided just as much growth as our time working.

I went to the Philippines in Jan ' 20 before the whole Covid lockdown went into full effect. I was assigned to one of the small islands to work on a rural health community medicine project. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Not only was the teaching incredible, the experience was everything that I could have asked for. As a senior medical student, I saw how community workers cared for rural communities, worked with medical centers both on the coast, and all the way up into the mountains and assisted in public health initiatives like family planning, and vaccinations.

I can honestly say that I have a little Filipino family on the island of Marinduque. So much love, and care is shown by both the community, healthcare workers and professors. I want to return back as a resident, hoping to be working in ER medicine/Disaster Medicine someday.

I decided to go with CFHI as part of my global health elective for medical school because of the wide variety of locations they have. I really wanted to go to Ghana and experience healthcare in another country, predominately in a hospital setting. CFHI provided me with an opportunity to rotate with different services at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital and also provided me with everlasting memories that I will never forget. I made connections with residents and house officers who I deeply respect. There wasn't much help in getting there but once I was there things just started to fall together. I would suggest to anyone wanting to go to another country to look into CFHI due to its variety of program locations and also the ability to work in an already established setting. In addition, there are weekly lectures that introduce students to Ghana and public health. I do suggest that you be diligent and on top of making sure you have all of your required documents before hand and its correct because there wasn't much assistance with ensuring the information was uptodate. Take a look at the variety of things to do in both Cape Coast and Accra (3hrs away by van) for weekend activities as well. The program is what you make out of it. There is definitely time to explore and to learn so your trip is what you want it to be.

I can confidently say that I am glad that I made the decision to travel to Mumbai, India through the CFHI Infectious Diseases Program in 2005. I went on this eye-opening trip in as a Public Health student and realized that I had so much to be thankful and grateful for. I understood that we were lucky in the United States and in some developed countries when it comes to having the capability and capacity to eradicate some infectious diseases such as Leprosy.
I had learned about Leprosy from my science classes and seen images of the devastation and incapacitating nature of the disease, but it is nothing compared to actually seeing it in reality. CFHI has made it an effort to provide the opportunity for access and information about global health to health professionals, nursing students, medical students and public health students. CFHI have been able to carry this role out because they constantly strive to maintain relationships with all their host countries institutions, and families. Access to health information and awareness of health maintenance is a fundamental human right. CFHI has a solid stance on that so it is not surprising to see CFHI at the top of the Great Nonprofits.
I also hope to someday join CFHI in bringing awareness to the global fight against Addiction and Mental Health issues.
I will end with Gro Brundtland’s words, “There can be no real growth without healthy populations. No sustainable development without tackling disease and malnutrition. No international security without assisting crisis-ridden countries. And no hope for the spread of freedom, democracy and human dignity unless we treat health as a basic human right.”

The internship provided me with a very enriching opportunity to explore the complexity of HIV management in the South African context. With a variety of healthcare environments such as hospices, hospitals and clinics, I got to experience first hand the operation of the three-tier healthcare system of South Africa in a ver populous and predominantly Zulu province. The culture of the Kwa-Zulu Natal was fascinating from their marital parches to their language via their colourful fashion, I absolutely loved being immersed in this dynamic environment. I even learnt some Zulu! The South African country is also incredibly beautiful and I was lucky enough to explore some highlights like Cape Town or Kruger National Park. Overall, the internship was the most defining experience in my public health career thus far.

I am a second-year medical student and I went to Accra, Ghana through the CFHI program.

I rotated in the ER department and was able to round with the fifth-year medical students from Accra College of Medicine and Family Health Medical School. On my first day I rounded with the fifth-year medical students and I was terrified and intimidated. The way they presented, answered the doctor’s questions and interrogations on details about their cases, and dissected their differentials was astounding. With only one year of medical school under my belt, I felt useless and unknowledgeable compared to them. However, I tried to stay as engaged as I could, listening to patients’ hearts and lungs, interpreting x-rays and EKGs, and perfecting the craft of the history and physical exam. This coming year we’ll learn more about chronic illnesses and management, so I’ll be able to deepen my clinical knowledge and skills.

I was happy that I was able to recognize a lot of drug names since Pharm is one of my favorite classes and could ask questions about treatment plans and care management. Most of the pediatric cases were acute tonsillitis, acute otitis media, bronchopneumonia, bronchiolitis, and complications of sickle cell disease (SCD). I was able to see an infant that was diagnosed with Trisomy 21 aka Down syndrome and had a heart murmur. I was also able to see a patient that had a palpable thrill and murmur. I sat in on my first Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) meeting and learned a lot about that part of medical care. I also participated in various lectures on proper handwashing skills, stages and treatment of malnutrition, how to properly clean the umbilical cord postpartum, triaging, and common respiratory/cardiovascular diseases in children.

One of the most memorable days was when I clerked with one of the fifth-year medical students. His partner wasn’t coming till the afternoon, so I was there to make sure he asked all of the right questions. We exchanged mnemonics on the history of present illness (we learned OLDCARTS and he learned SOCRATES) and social history. I quickly jotted down all the aspects of the history that should be asked and felt grateful that my school had forced us to create our own SOAP note from scratch countless times. He was grateful that I was able to ensure he asked all of the necessary questions. Our main differential was Vaso-occlusive crisis as a complication of SCD. Our other differentials were osteomyelitis and cellulitis. Both doctors ended up supporting our top differential and it felt good to be able to come up with the correct diagnosis. The child also had otitis media but we weren’t sure if it was secondary to the SCD since they are more prone to infections, or independent of the SCD.

All in all I learned a lot this week, more than I ever thought I would and I’m so excited to rotate in other parts of the hospital. This experience is strengthening my desire to go into Family Medicine even more apparent and necessary.

I completed a global health practicum in La Paz, Bolivia in March 2018. Rather than working in a clinical setting, I worked with an NGO that had developed a micro health insurance (MHI) product for very low income persons living in La Paz. The NGO was experiencing challenges in meeting their sales goals, and the focus of my practicum was identifying barriers in selling/purchasing MHI and providing recommendations to overcome these barriers.

This practicum was a particularly important experience for me because I did not have any previous experience in public health. In addition to learning about what it is like to work in the field, I also learned several invaluable lessons about developing, implementing, and promoting public health programs.

I found both the NGO and CFHI staff friendly, supportive, willing to teach me, and willing to learn from me. The local CFHI staff was particularly helpful - they were always available to answer questions or help resolve any issues. My homestay accommodations were very high quality, and in a location convenient to the office.

The also program offered flexibility to travel on weekends, so that you can explore and learn more about Bolivian culture.

All in all, this was a wonderful experience and I am glad I participated in the program!

The Healthcare Challenges program in Cape Town and HIV/AIDS & Healthcare Challenges program in Durban were amazing experiences that taught me much about the field of medicine. We were able to shadow in a variety of healthcare settings, including large hospitals, small community clinics, and hospices, and in many different medical specialties, including general surgery, pediatrics, primary care, and obstetrics. We had fantastic support in South Africa and were given the opportunity to travel throughout the country, from the Garden Route of the Western Cape, to safaris of KwaZulu-Natal, and the mountains of Lesotho. South Africa is a beautiful country with a vibrant culture and rich history. I cannot wait until I get a chance to visit South Africa again!