Spaces in the program are limited to around 8-10 students per year. First-year medical students enrolled at any UWSOM WWAMI campus are eligible to apply.
We strongly encourage interested students to understand the goals, objectives, requirements, and challenges of the program before applying. Prior international experience is not required. However, applicants should be prepared to live in simple conditions in countries with limited infrastructure, be willing to be flexible and adaptable, and able to function independently with minimal day-to-day guidance. Applicants should be realistic about the stresses imposed by prolonged separation from family and friends, by language barriers and cultural differences, and by the impact of seeing poverty and suffering up close. Students must be in good academic standing at the end of Spring quarter in order to participate in GHIP.
Please note that GHIP is not a clinical preceptorship. Students interested in clinical training in a developing country setting are encouraged to apply for the Global Health Clinical Elective (GHCE) for fourth year students.
GHIP Partnerships
GHIP partners with organizations in low and lower-middle income countries, as well as in local-global settings. GHIP participants are matched with sites and work closely with their partner host to identify project topics of interest to the host community.
Dominican Republic
Community site: Clínica de Familia La Romana
Location: La Romana, Dominican Republic
Overview: Clínica de Familia La Romana provides outpatient, primary and specialized HIV medical care, psychosocial, community and home-based services, and an annual summer camp for HIV-positive children. The clinical services offered include primary care, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, cardiology, diabetes care, laboratory, family and internal medicine, family planning, mental health services, and laboratory and imaging services. In addition to its clinical services, Clínica de Familia also houses one of the largest comprehensive HIV clinics in the country, providing medical care and treatment to more than 2,500 clients. The clinic also offers specialized sexually transmitted infection consultations for sex workers and men who have sex with men. In addition, the Clinic oversees a program to reduce vertical transmission of HIV. Clínica de Familia La Romana aims to improve the quality of life of the poorest and most vulnerable populations in the eastern region of the country with a comprehensive and family-centered approach. More information about each program can be found at www.clinicadefamilia.org.
Language Requirements: Conversational Spanish
Kenya
Community site: Community partners (ie Naivasha Public Health Department), Naivasha District Hospital
Location: Naivasha, Kenya
Overview: GHIP students meet with community partners to figure out topics of interest to them and the community, then with this needs assessment they decide on their projects. Potential projects may focus on community outreach, including HIV, pneumonia, pediatric care, or collaboration with a sex-workers clinic in town. This is often done through educational initiatives (ie teaching a group of community health workers about paediatric warning signs, teaching children at a public school about HIV and trying to reduce stigma). This location has a strong UW resident presence, including a UW Chief Resident who lives in Naivasha during students’ time at the site.
Language Requirements: None
Nepal
Community site: Dhulikhel Hospital
Location: Dhulikel, Nepal
Overview: Dhulikel Hospital has a strong connection with outreach centers in the rural communities, and have many ongoing projects aimed at outreach. Students can be engaged with one of many projects that are ongoing. They have a Nepalese point person who is the student coordinator and helps mentor projects before and during the summer.
Language Requirements: None
Peru
Community site: In the past we have had students in Lima, Iquitos, and other sites.
Location: various sites in Lima, Iquitos, possible to go to other sites. Prior students have worked at Sacred Valley Health.
Overview: There are various sites that students have worked in in Peru. These tend to be fairly independent experiences, and in the past have focused on things like teledermatology, hand hygiene, creating trauma registries, and other community focused programs for specific populations including adolescents, women, transgender patients, unstably housed, and mentally ill.
Language Requirements: Conversational Spanish
Uganda
Community site: Uganda Cancer Institute
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Overview: The Uganda Cancer Institute is a hub of cancer research in Sub-Saharan Africa, and collaborates with the UW/Fred Hutch. They have ties to the community, and students who go to Kampala generally focus on community outreach with screening or education for patients with cancer.
Language Requirements: None
Senegal
Community site: The Service des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales
Location: Dakar, Senegal; Ziguinchor, Senegal.
Overview: This has roots in the UW-Senegal Research Collaboration. Previous GHIP students worked on malaria bed nets in Ziguinchor and nutrition counseling in Dakar. Students decide on a project after meeting the local stakeholders and learning about the needs of the community. Potential projects include topics related to HIV, TB, food insecurity and traditional healer engagement. DIG (Development In Gardening) has an ongoing project in Ziguinchor. More info at www.uwsenegalresearch.com.
Language Requirements: Conversational French
United States
Community site: EthnoMed
Location: Seattle, Washington
Overview: EthnoMed is a cultural bridge connecting providers and patients who come from refugee, immigrant, and migrant backgrounds. Student(s) will work with the team at EthnoMed to engage with immigrant, refugee, or migrant communities in Seattle and King County, and to develop and implement a small project aimed at better understanding and/or improving health.
Language Requirements: None