Program Reviews

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!

CFHI's intern experience was perfect for me, and I actively recommend it to everyone I meet. I wanted an internship that I could do online because of my job and uncertainty with the pandemic, and this aspect met my expectations well. I learned so much in the month before my job started full time, and it really opened my eyes to the jobs in the field of Global Health. This helped me direct my career path in a very unique way. Logistically, the instructors offered flexibility and grace, and the physician in charge of directing my cohort and teaching us about Ghana was living there at the time, so we learned from someone in the field, rather than someone talking about their time in the country you choose. CFHI also does a fantastic job of cultural respect, humility, and making sure that their practices are sustainable long term. I am so thankful for this program and the opportunities it afforded me.

Child Family Health International is an amazing organization. I participated in the virtual internship in Ghana and felt like I was truly there. The leader gave us so much insightful information. Sometimes wifi wouldn’t work but they always figured it out and kept us informed. If your thinking about participating do it! I think my favorite part was thinking I knew something and quickly realizing I didn’t know what I was talking about. I have such a broad understanding now which I wouldn’t of had without this internship.

I decided to join the Child Family Health International Virtual Global Health Comparative internship with the determination to get more than just experience in public and global health but also connect to other students and global health professionals. My one-month program focused on Ghana, and I've learned a lot from our weekly lectures on Ghanaian culture and public health.
I would like to recognize Dr. Nwobu, our main lecturer in Ghana region, for his work in moderating our discussions and sharing his personal experiences of being a public health practitioner in Ghana. Likewise, I learned a lot from the webinars on comparative and professional aspects of global health in general. During some sessions I got an opportunity to share my personal experiences with health care in Turkmenistan (my home country).
Even though CFHI was offering primarily in-person internships before, they perfectly managed and executed virtual internships. I was lucky to study with a diverse cohort of students from Canada, the USA, Ghana, Turkmenistan and India, who shared their culturally-unique perspectives on topics that we discussed in class. Our sessions were interactive and informative, which helped me to stay engaged during information-intensive sessions.
Even though my internship didn't include a Spanish aspect to it, I still got an opportunity to practice my Spanish listening during round-table discussions, where delegates from Latin and South America shared their perspectives on different health-related topics in Spanish.
My internship ended two weeks ago and I can't help but keep thinking about what to try next. I gained immense insight into public and global health from the CFHI virtual Global Health Comparative Internship and this positively contributed to my decision to study global and public health in graduate school. Hopefully, I will have another opportunity to participate in CFHI internships (next time in person) to get a different experience and share it with my friends.

The Child Family Health International (CFHI) Virtual Global and Public Health Internship was an enriching and valuable learning experience for me. The sessions were very well organised, and it enabled me to gain a better understanding of the public healthcare system in India and the local and national public health programs. The sessions on personal and professional development, as well as cultural sensitivity, were very insightful. Thank you CFHI for this amazing and excellent internship experience and I highly recommend the CFHI Internships to students interested in Global Health and Public Health.

As an adult graduate student with school-aged children, I was always looking for internship and practicum opportunities to participate. The internships that I came across were good but the timing was always an issue. I was looking for a specific internship that will give me the flexibility to work around my family's schedule.

So, when CFHI announced last May that it was opening the doors of virtual internship opportunities, I was all over the place! It was a dream come true for me. Even though it was a virtual one, as far as I am concerned, an internship is an internship. Of course, the face-to-face, in-person internship in a global setting has its perks and advantages. No doubt about that. Without the COVID-19 pandemic, I would have opted for an in-person internship abroad as well. However, due to the pandemic, the CFHI staff was strategic enough to think beyond the traditional internship format and bring forth an innovative virtual one that will suit many adult students like me, including much younger students. It is a matter of opportunity and such opportunities never last. So, if one appears, just grab it!

And that is exactly what I did. I grabbed the opportunity and participated in my first-ever (virtual) internship with CFHI.

It was an amazing, eye-opening experience. From our Ghana preceptor to my cohort colleagues, and all the lessons learned and videos shared with us about the healthcare systems, food, history, and cultural traditions in Ghana, everything in between was enriching, enlightening, and exciting.

I concluded my one-month CFHI'S global public health internship (Ghana) just last week and I am already thinking of when to enroll for another CFHI internship in another part of the world. This is how fulfilled I am with my CFHI experience!

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.