A program aiming to help early-career researchers incorporate global health into their scholarly work is now accepting applications for the upcoming year.
The next session of the Global Health Research Certificate Program will kick off this fall and is open to any U-M faculty (MD or PhD), fellow, resident, or PhD candidate interested in establishing or expanding their research activities in an international setting. The deadline to apply is August 22, 2022.
“This program helped me realize there are countless ways to engage in global health research and provided the tools and knowledge to create opportunities in my own areas of interest,” said recent participant Melissa Zochowski. Zochowski is currently a research specialist in the UMMS Department of Pediatrics, a member of the Program on Women’s Healthcare Effectiveness Research in the UMMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a PhD candidate in Health Infrastructures and Learning Systems.
“I have supported several large-scale global health projects as a project and program manager in the past. As I work toward my PhD, I wanted to understand where global health research and Learning Health Systems might intersect and how global health research could fit into the next phase of my career,” Zochowski said.
The yearlong program is designed around monthly seminars hosted by global health leaders from across the organization. Multiple topics pertinent to international collaborations are covered, including: building sustainable partnerships (led by Sr. Associate Dean for Education and Global Initiatives Joseph Kolars); establishing new partnerships (Professor of Internal Medicine Akbar Waljee); global health research funding (Jody Lori, Professor and Associate Dean for Global Affairs, School of Nursing); mixed-methods research (Professor of Family Medicine Michael Fetters); and more.
In addition to the individual seminar leads, participants are paired with a faculty mentor for the duration of the session for guidance and support as they pursue their own global health research interests. At the conclusion of the year, they join a growing network of participants – 43 since the program’s launch in 2017 – who can call upon each other for insights and support.
“There is an incredible community of individuals at Michigan working on impactful global health projects. I saw the program as an opportunity to learn from leaders in the field and hopefully collaborate in the future,” said Phillip Hsu, MD, a Surgery Resident who also recently completed the program. “I now have a much better idea of the research and resources at Michigan, and would be excited to work with the individuals I met through the program.”
The program is administered by Global REACH under the leadership Associate Professor of Learning Health Sciences and Ob-Gyn Cheryl Moyer; Professor of Internal Medicine and Health Behavior & Health Education Michele Heisler; and Kolars, who serves as Director for both Global REACH and the U-M Center for Global Health Equity. Learn more and apply here.