International Sites

Fellows are given the opportunity to work with established, senior UMass Chan Medical School investigators at established global health partnership sites. The following sites have successfully hosted UMass Chan Medical School global health fellows, residents and students for global health training: 

Liberia

JFK Medical Center, Monrovia

JFK Medical Center is the National Referral Hospital in Liberia. It is the teaching hospital of the national medical school and is located in the capital city of Monrovia. In this setting, fellows have provided direct clinical service, while teaching and training Liberian house officers and medical students. UMass Chan Medical School has sent many faculty and residents to this site for global health training.  Faculty and residents have initiated many quality improvements and clinical projects including the creation of a Pediatric Chronic Illness Clinic, pediatric malaria research and acute febrile illness studies.

JJ Doessen Hospital, Rural Maryland County

JJ Doessen Hospital is located in Harper, in the rural southwest part of the country, and is supported by the NGO, Partners in Health. In the past, global health fellows have worked with Partners in Health to help provide direct clinical service at this large referral hospital. They have also initiated quality improvement projects such as a program to improve neonatal outcomes through community outreach, and initiated a project This is also a rotation site for Liberian Family Medicine residents. This site is ideal for community based research and implementation projects.

Kenya

Michelle Obama Children’s Hospital, Kisumu.

Kenya has been a rotation site for UMass Global Health pathways medical students for 10 years. Obama Children’s Hospital is a large, tertiary referral hospital, and is an ideal site for global health fellows to provide clinical service. In addition, there are opportunities to visit the rural 'feeder' hospitals around Kisumu. The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) research labs are also located in Kisumu, making it an ideal site for clinical research. There are several ongoing research projects that global health fellows can become involved with including studies involving malaria in children, malaria in pregnancy, and infection-associated cancers, such as endemic Burkitt Lymphoma.  

India

Bhaikaka University (BKU)

Bhaikaka University (BKU) (formerly known as Charutar Arogya Mandal (CAM)) is a charitable trust that operates an 800-bed tertiary care center, Shree Krishna Hospital, and medical school, Pramukhswami Medical College, in rural western India. Located in the Anand district in the state of Gujarat, BKU serves rural community comprised of over 150 villages where agriculture and dairy production are the primary economic means.

BKU’s mission is to care for the underserved of the community and train the next generation of health care providers for rural India. To support this mission, BKU developed Central Research Services and Community Extension Department to focus on improving the health of the region through community-centered research and service, respectively. Central Research Services supports investigator initiated, community-based research studies and foster a research culture within the institution. The Community Extension Department is dedicated to delivering health programs to the local community. Through this department, BKU has established a network of Village Health Workers who receive training to perform disease screenings and deliver health education. Additionally, BKU operates 7 primary and secondary health centers within the region, which increases access to primary and specialist care among rural communities.

Research and Advocacy for Health in India (RAHI, which is the Hindi word for pathfinder) and Support and Action Towards Health-Equity in India (SATHI, the Hindi word for partnership) are two sister collaborations between UMass Chan Medical School (UMass Chan) and BKU supported by a formal Memorandum of Understanding. RAHI currently focuses on understanding and reducing health disparities in the areas of maternal and child health and noncommunicable diseases through several research studies and programs. SATHI supports bilateral capacity strengthening activities, including trainee-exchange, structured mentorship, and seminars on research and teaching methodology.

Throughout the course of this nearly 10-year collaboration, there has been robust bilateral exchange between UMass Chan and BKU that centers on community health research projects that promote health equity and capacity building. Trainees from UMass Chan and BKU at the levels of medical students, residents, and global health fellow have engaged in exchange opportunities spanning a wide range of research focus areas and clinical specialties. Residents and fellows from UMass Chan who participate in this collaboration have opportunities to partner with faculty and trainees from BKU to develop and implement community engaged research studies, to shadow in clinical settings, and to engage in community health outreach programs.