Program Reviews

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!

This was a great program. Everything was very organized and structured so that I didn't have to worry about not knowing where I was supposed to be at any given moment. There were many points of contact throughout the whole process. From being picked up at the airport, adequate knowledge about the program from the host family, tour of the city and public transportation on the first day, coordination of hospital sites and physicians, the whole process was very seamless. Quito is a very easy city to navigate with great and cheap public transportation. Uber is also very cheap there. There are also lots of weekend trips that can be done to explore more of Ecuador. The rotations were all interesting and educational, with physicians teaching in between seeing patients. You get to work in a maternity hospital ER, adolescent pregnancy clinic, postpartum floor, outpatient clinics, and labor and delivery. I felt that the spanish classes were excellent especially since there were only 4 students or so in each class. Would definitely recommend this program!

My participation in a Solomon Islands Community Environmental Health program in 2017 left me with a growing desire to explore the world once more through my education. I felt an urgency and natural obligation to have a similar experience of volunteer work and service in my motherland. I found CFHI's program through their partnership with the University of California. The idea of getting paired with a Oaxacan NGO for a practicum experience was something I naturally yearned for and had seemingly manifested for myself. I needed Oaxaca's people, colors, food, artesanías, landscapes and one of a kind streets full of culture.
Back in April when the program was starting in Mexico City I was put in contact with the Assistant Director of CFHI Latin America to talk about the goals and interests I had in mind for the Community Health Practicum, a month-long project I was to complete in Oaxaca City while completing volunteer work. I was placed to work with El Instituto de la Naturaleza y Sociedad de Oaxaca (INSO) after sharing with her my background in environmental science. I felt an immediate connection to INSO’s work due to their ability of recognizing the importance of a holistic approach to ecology and community health. I also visited Centro de Apoyo para el Niño de la Calle (CANICA) and although it was not an NGO I was originally assigned to, I asked to volunteer there as well. From Tuesday through Thursdays I worked with the incredible educators, staff, and students of CANICA. My role at CANICA was to be a teaching assistant for an educator of a combined class of first through fourth grade students. I helped teach weekly environmental health and earth science topics such as flooding, wildfires, and earthquakes. I learned how to complete lesson plans, how to get comfortable teaching a classroom in my native language, and how to inspire young ones on topics I am passionate about. I appreciated all the different tasks I had at CANICA; even the simple everyday activities of math tutoring and pickup soccer that allowed me bond more with these wonderful kids. The highlight of my volunteer experience was being granted the freedom and responsibility by CFHI to complete a Community Health Practicum project that represented my diverse list of passions. I am grateful that this experience gave me the opportunity to formulate a project under the weekly mentorship and wisdom of highly influential people. I gained valuable insight on how to think critically about development work. Particularly distinguishing gaps to become a useful bridge between an NGO and communities that are typically targeted for health, educational, and other development projects. Completing an internship abroad with CFHI has offered me a portal to connect with people and places from different parts of the world, an opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills and has opened new doors in my mind about my identity.

I chose this program in India and participated for 4 weeks during my summer semester of college in 2016 because I am interested in obstetrics and gynecology as well as, the challenges expecting mothers face in the developing world. Apart from that, I also love the vibrant and colorful culture of India. This program was worth the time and money because I got to shadow and interact with physicians from both departments of pediatrics and obstetrics/ gynecology as well as, primary care physicians from rural villages. This experience allows me to have a better idea of what I want to pursue and how I want to contribute to women healthcare. I highly recommend to anyone who's interested in working in the healthcare sector. Also, I would totally encourage others to go because it’s not only an opportunity to learn more about global health but also, to learn more about different cultures and forge everlasting friendships.

Prior to depature, CFHI coordinators were prompt and sent helpful reminders on how to prepare beforehand. The local coordinator was very receptive to feedback, she checked in part way through to see if we needed to adjust the difficulty of Spanish medical language instruction. The shadowing experience in the clinics and hospital had an appropriate amount of time and the preceptors were kind. There was enough time to explore the community and practice Spanish. Quito had great public transportation and it was safe and easy to get around. I was warned by locals to avoid getting in a cab by myself as a female foreigner but also not to get ripped off with paying a flat fee instead of the ticker. Ecuadorian food is a little bland but affordable. It is great that you can explore the Galapagos Islands afterwards, would highly recommend!