Global Women's Health Fellowship

ABOUT	GOALS	OBJECTIVES
STRUCTURE	REQUIREMENTS	PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
APPLICATION	IMPORTANT DATES	CONTACT US

About the Fellowship

In recognition of the growing need for physician leadership within the global community and the lack of a comprehensive and collaborative training program, the Connor’s Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) have developed this interdisciplinary and cross-collaborative research and training fellowship to enable health care professionals to develop and apply research skills and experience to significantly impact the global community, with an emphasis on women’s health.

This Partners GME/PEC approved fellowship is an institutional collaboration of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, the Harvard Global Health Insitute and the Harvard School of Public Health.

The purpose of the fellowship is to promote educational initiatives and research pertinent to the advancement of Global Women’s Health (GWH) through development of academic research and leadership skills in global medicine, disaster and humanitarian response, war medicine, and areas specific to women’s health including reproductive health and gender-based violence. This two-year program is committed to serve as a platform for collaborative global health work with governmental, non-governmental, and outside institutions in order to meet this end.

The fellowship takes a comprehensive approach to women's health. It includes health issues unique to women (e.g. reproductive health and family planning, female genital cutting, breast and cervical cancer); areas where women experience disproportionate health impact (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease); and health issues where women experience a particular disadvantage based on gender inequalities and other social determinants (e.g. HIV and AIDS, displacement due to war and disaster).

The fellowship is open to health professionals of all specialties involving women’s health, including, but not limited to, obstetrics/gynecology, internal medicine, infectious disease, emergency medicine, med/peds, psychiatry, surgery, and anesthesia. The fellowship is designed to provide rigorous training in academic research methods together with formal public health education and mentored research experiences in GWH, including field-based research. We will take advantage of the Harvard University community to provide rich and deep mentoring for each fellow. Each fellow will have an individualized mentorship team to ensure academic growth and productivity in specific areas of women’s health. The team will be multidisciplinary and will provide guidance when working within the social, environmental, cultural, and political context of GWH.

Goals

The defining goal of the Brigham and Women’s Global Women’s Health Fellowship is to train physicians for successful careers dedicated to furthering the health and well-being of women through innovative, meaningful and wide-reaching research. This two-year training program will prepare physicians who want to pursue an academic research career path in GWH, understand how best to serve specific populations of women, and contribute to the knowledge base of the field.

Objectives

The objectives of the program, in relation to the goals listed above, will be to train leaders in GWH who:

Achieve successful careers dedicated to furthering the health and well-being of women globally.
Conduct clinical and field research based on solid quantitative and analytic research skills.
Obtain fundamental knowledge and understanding of global health issues that uniquely affect the health of women within the context of social, cultural, and political environments.
Develop administrative leadership skills through understanding how to assess, build, implement, monitor, and evaluate GWH programs.
Understand the particularly vulnerable role of women in humanitarian crises, war, conflict and disasters.

Fellowship Structure and Benefits

The fellowship begins July 1 and lasts two years. Fellows divide their time between international research projects, Harvard School of Public Health courses, and clinical services within their discipline. Fellows are expected to take the summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness at HSPH. Fellows receive a competitive salary and generous package of benefits and CME funds. Full tuition and fees related to the Harvard School of Public Health MPH degree program, including the cost of required textbooks, are covered by the fellowship. Fellowship-related travel costs are paid for, including airfare, room and board, global malpractice coverage (if applicable), and international medical and evacuation insurance. Four weeks of vacation are allowed per year.

Application Requirements

Applicants must be board certified or board eligible in their trained specialty when they begin the fellowship. Successful applicants will also (1) receive a research appointment with Brigham and Women's Hospital (as initiated by the fellowship); (2) receive a research appointment with Harvard Medical School (as initiated by the fellowship); (3) obtain a Massachusetts medical license (candidate's responsibility); and (4) be accepted into the MPH program by the Harvard School of Public Health (candidate's responsibility).

Please note that all application materials are to be received by September 15 for the Fellowship beginning July 1. Fellows will be notified on their acceptance into the Fellowship on December 1.

Please submit the following items by email (preferred), fax or mail:

1. Completed application form
2. CV
3. Personal statement (one page maximum)
4. Three letters of recommendation (one from Residency Director or Chairman)
5. Official transcript of USMLE results
6. Official medical school transcript

You must also apply separately to the Harvard School of Public Health Masters in Public Health program by December 15 and the summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness by February 1. Application for admission is available through the Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS) at http://www.sophas.org/.