By Emily Rogers
CALL FOR PAPERS – Mobilizing Africa: Innovation, Syncretism, and Appropriation
24th Annual Boston University Graduate Student Conference in African Studies March 25-‐‑26, 2016
Call for Papers – Mobilizing Africa: Innovation, Syncretism, and Appropriation
Mexico Field Program – Now Accepting Applications
The Community Health Assessment in Mexico: a field practicum course, which runs in the Summer, from May 9 - July 15, 2016 - for 10 weeks, is accepting applications until January 22. See the link for more details:
Tanzania Field Program for Summer 2016
The Global Health Department is in negotiations with a partner organization, to offer a field course in Tanzania for Summer 2016. If approved, this 6–week, 6-credit course, would run from mid-May through June. It will build upon 9 years of experience of offering GH707, the Kenya Field Practicum course. The new program will engage in health challenges affecting both urban and rural populations. Similar to GH707, students will create data collection instruments, conduct field-based data collection, analyze data, write reports, and present results and recommendations to stakeholders. Successful completion of the program will meet the MPH practicum requirement for eligible SPH students. Those accepted into the program will be offered a Santander Scholarship to help defray the costs of travel. In January 2016, we will hold information sessions about the program, where students can learn how to apply.
Recently we announced that the African Studies Center, will offer a 2-credit course on Swahili Language with a Health Focus (CAS LE491) on the BU Medical Campus Spring 2016. Student interested in taking the Tanzania Field Course or East Africa, are strongly encouraged to take the Swahili course and are asked to please complete this two question survey to gauge their interest and availability, by Friday, December 4 at 11:59 pm.
NOTE - This intensive undergraduate language course will be scheduled for 2 hours twice a week. Students may be able to add the course as part of their full-time course load without additional tuition expense. Language credits will not count toward your MPH degree. A follow-up course may be taught during Fall semester (2016) for returning students who want to further develop their language skills.
Monitoring Learning and Evaluation Lead in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Monitoring Learning and Evaluation Lead
Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana
Location: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Organization’s Background
The State of Uttar Pradesh has 60 million people living below the poverty line, this is the highest number of absolute poor in the country. As daunting as these numbers might be, they do not even begin to represent the complex development challenge in the state. The state is plagued by caste, class and gender based hierarchies that have impeded progress of the most vulnerable population and generated a vicious cycle of chronic poverty broadening the divide between the haves and have nots and making it even more difficult, particularly for the public sector, to reach out to the poor. In this case, it is critical to draw focus to women in rural Uttar Pradesh, who are the most disadvantages among the poor and discriminated against with regard to control of resources, opportunities, decision-making etc. The state has some of the worst social, economic and health indicators with regard to women and children. For e.g. the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of UP is 50, much higher than the national average of 40, the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) of UP is 392 almost double of the national average. In fact, Uttar Pradesh with three other states, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan together account for more than half of the country’s neonatal mortality, which accounts for about 14% of global newborn deaths. Further, 17% of all child deaths in UP occur due to pneumonia and around 14 million episodes of childhood pneumonia occur in UP every year.
For instituting health behavior change, strengthening community to demand their rights and entitlements and ensuring information dissemination is important. Learning’s from the field and research findings seems to suggest that both success and scale can only be ensured through bottom up approaches that are centred around the community and community based institutions.
Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna (RGMVP) is a right based organization which is working on organizing women into Self Help Groups (SHG) and their federations so that women can collectively address development challenges. With its work spread across 275 blocks in UP, RGMVP reaches out to around 1.3 million rural women and households. The objective of RGMVP’s work is to facilitate women empowerment, particularly of the most backward population, by disrupting hierarchy and creating opportunities.
For more information and to apply, please visit refer to the online posting.
Deadline for applications is December 22th, 2015
USAID Global Health Fellows II – Social and Behavioral Change Communication Intern
Social and Behavior Change Communication Intern
Policy, Evaluation and Communication Division, Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Bureau for Global health, United States Agency for International Development
Location: Washington, DC/Arlington, VA | February 2016 - August 2016: Compensated 6 month Internship | INT-P5-014
The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP-II) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with Global Health Corps, GlobeMed, Management Systems International and PYXERA Global. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
GHFP-II's goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID health programs by addressing the Agency's immediate and emerging human capacity needs. The program seeks to accomplish this goal first through the recruitment, placement and support of diverse health professionals at the junior, mid and senior levels. These program participants include fellows, interns, corporate volunteers and Foreign Service National professionals. The program then provides substantial performance management and career development support to participants, including annual working planning assistance, and ensures that professional development opportunities are available.
Looking to the future, GHFP-II also seeks to establish a pool of highly-qualified global health professionals that will ensure the Agency's ongoing technical leadership and effectiveness. This objective is supported by an extensive outreach program that brings global health opportunities and specialized career advice to a diverse range of interested individuals, with a particular focus on those underrepresented in the field of global health.
BACKGROUND
The Policy, Evaluation, and Communication Division (PEC) under the Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH) in the Bureau for Global Health (GH) creates the enabling environment for sexual and reproductive health (RH) and works with partners within USAID and externally to: (Policy) Promote effective sexual and RH advocacy, policy, financing, and governance; (Evaluation) Collect, analyze, and evaluate data for evidence-based decision making; and (Communication) Develop and implement communication efforts to influence attitudes, norms, and behaviors. The PRH Office provides technical leadership, strategic direction, implementation oversight, support to field missions, partner coordination, and performance tracking for the family planning (FP) component of the United States Government (USG)'s Global Health Initiative.
INTRODUCTION
The Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Intern (Intern) will be assigned to the SBCC Team in the PEC Division. The Intern will assist the SBCC Team in supporting GH's flagship behavior change projects, the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3) and Transform, and may also carry out other Bureau-wide duties in collaboration with other divisions within PRH. All work will be conducted with the purpose of supporting the two projects' SBCC activities worldwide, as well as assisting with related technical needs within the office. The Intern is critical to the Team, as SBCC is a cross-division technical priority area for PRH. The Intern will receive technical guidance from the PRH Behavior Change Communication Advisor as his/her onsite manager and will work collaborate with several other SBCC technical staff in the GH Bureau.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Gaining experience in the field of Social Behavior Change Communication.
• Gaining a greater understanding of the global landscape of SBCC for health, with particular focus in the areas of SBCC capacity strengthening, research and innovation.
• Deepening skills in collaboration and coordination within a complex organizational and implementation structure.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
• Developing a series of SBCC program case studies highlighting current best practices in behavior change for FP/RH.
• Assisting with first-line technical review of HC3 and Transform PRH Task Order outputs, including outputs in PRH core activity areas such as urban youth, healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy, and provider behavior change.
• Producing a streamlines, comprehensive toolkit or package, including SBCC talking points and other briefing materials, for USAID use in advocating for SBCC programming with USAID Missions and other potential partners.
• Assisting the SBCC Team in gathering and analyzing data in order to assess current USAID programming needs in SBCC. These activities may include drafting results frameworks, scopes of work and other related project documents. In addition, this activity will require the intern to work across the broad GH SBCC Team.
• Designing and implementing a specific SBCC activity commensurate with current PEC or PRH needs and the Intern's qualifications and interests in SBCC.
• Other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned based on organizational and programming needs and/or the Intern's own interest.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Currently enrolled master's or other post-bachelor's degree candidate in a program related to public health, health communication, social marketing, or social psychology; or, completion of such within the past 12 months. Coursework related to behavior change, health communication, and/or health education is preferred.
• Demonstrated interest in social and behavior change and/or health communication in developing countries. Experience with behavior change programming (including peer education, counseling, social marketing, and community mobilization) in developing country settings in preferred.
• Strong web-based research skills, organizational and planning skills.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office and Google applications.
• US citizenship or US permanent residency required.
COMPENSATION
$1,680 bi-weekly (exempt, salaried position).
TO APPLY
Detailed information, including an online application and instructions, is available on our website at https://www.ghfp.net/
All online applications must be submitted by December 15, 2015 by 5:00 pm Eastern time.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA Employer.
Opportunity to take Swahili for credit
We have exciting news for those of you interested in taking a language for credit. Swahili with a Health Focus (CAS LE491) will be offered for 2 credits on the BU Medical Campus in Spring 2016. If you are interested in taking the course, please complete this short survey by Friday, December 4 at 11:59 pm. The survey will take less then five minutes to complete.
Internship/Local Practicum Opportunity: Quality Improvement, Patient Care Supportive Initiatives with Dana Farber
*Great opportunity for students who may not have time for a full overseas practicum*
Organization: Dana Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
Address: 450 Brookline Avenue (Longwood Medical Area), Boston, MA 02215-5450
Website: http://www.danafarberbostonchildrens.org/globalhealth
The Global Health Initiative (GHI) at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders
Center (DF/BC) is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on countries with limited resources,
and brings together faculty, fellows, nurses, social workers, psychologists, health educators,
and managers to improve outcomes for children. We are working to establish centers of
excellence in pediatric hematology and oncology in the developing world, and we are training
the next generation of leaders. Our mission is to improve the lives and enhance the care of
children with cancer and blood disorders worldwide. All GHI activities include ongoing efforts
to establish twinning partnerships with sites in low and middle income countries and are
centered around three objectives: Program building (twinning), Education and Research. At
present, GHI operates a variety of projects in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the
Middle East and the Caucasus Region.
One of the ongoing projects is a twinning and education collaboration with Children’s Cancer
Hospital Egypt 57357 in Cairo, Egypt. CCHE 57357 is one of the top pediatric oncology providers
in Africa and the Middle East region. The hospital opened its doors in July 2007, after raising 1
billion EGP (US$167 Million) in private donations. It is the largest freestanding pediatric cancer
hospital in the world, is completely sustained through donations, and all care is fully charitable
and free of charge. For more information, please visit www.57357.com.
INTERNSHIP SUMMARY
Primary Site: Dana Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA
Foreign Site: Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt 57357, Cairo, Egypt
The internship will be a team project with 2-3 students who will have the opportunity to apply
global public health skills to a realistic and vital issue on the quality of care of children with
cancer in Egypt. It will focus on a quality improvement projects to examine how use of the
Central Venus Access Device (CVAD), nasogastric (NG) tubes and gastrostomy (G) tubes impact
pediatric oncology patient outcomes. At present, a very small percent of hospitalized children
(about 7%) are using a CVAD which results in a number of negative consequences such as pain,
infections, burns, discomfort, and others. The goal is for all eligible new patients (approximately
1900 per year) at CCHE 57357 to have a CVAD placed to minimize extravasations, increase
patient satisfaction and improve outcomes. The goal is for eligible patients meeting criteria to
have NG or G tubes placed is to maintain body weight, and the percentage of lean body mass
during chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer. The internship includes a one or
two- week-long site visit to CCHE 57357 (CCHE 57357 will assume the costs for the site visit:
airfare, housing and $500 stipend).
To learn more and apply, view full description and details.
Open invitation to attend GH 704 for talk by Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq
Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq will be discussing private sector health care in Nigeria during the first hour of GH 704:
Monday, December 7
10:00AM
CT-462A
All GH students are welcome to join.
Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq
Chief Executive Officer and Board Member
Private Sector Health Alliance, Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria
Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq is the Chief Executive Officer and founding board member of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria.
Until his appointment as the MD/CEO of the Alliance, Muntaqa was the Senior Technical Advisor to the former Minister of State for Health in Nigeria, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate. In this position, he was responsible for leading a number of healthcare reform programs, including unlocking the market potential of the private sector in healthcare across the value chain, improving quality of care in public and private facilities through better clinical governance, National Health Insurance Scheme reforms and scaling up access to basic primary healthcare services, amongst others. Specifically, he co-authored the 2012 drug distribution guidelines for the FMOH and led the ministry’s efforts to streamline supply chain, logistics and drug distribution in Nigeria.
He is a graduate from the University of Cambridge, England, from which he received an M.Phil in Bioscience Enterprise. He completed 6-year MBBS at Imperial College School of Medicine, London, and holds an intercalated BSc in Management (with Finance & Health Economics) from the Tanaka Business School, London.
After internships at Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company, he commenced his career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley where he focused on the Healthcare & Pharmaceutical sector – and advised healthcare clients (government agencies, large-cap pharmaceuticals, medical technology, diagnostics, generic drug makers, hospital services and biotech clients) on a wide range of transactions including strategic advisory & operational planning mandates, capital raisings, leveraged buyouts, minority stake sales and mergers.
He is a CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) charter holder and founder of AfyaZima Africa Limited (Elpida Cambridge Health), a healthcare consulting and medical device company which won the Cambridge University Entrepreneurship Angel Investor prize.
Graduate and Postdoc workshop: Creating and Owning Your Individual Development Plan
December 3, 2015 | 4:00 – 6:00 pm
685-725 Commonwealth Avenue, CAS 235
Registration | Pre-session assignments
Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are a customized roadmap for your professional training. Setting goals and reviewing them regularly with your mentor will enable you to make the most of your graduate or postdoctoral experience at Boston University.
This workshop will teach you how to create an outline of your Individual Development Plan (IDP) and help you develop an action plan to facilitate professional development conversations with your mentor.
In this workshop, you will…
- develop an appreciation for why individuals should use an IDP
- analyze your professional skills and career aspirations
- distinguish complete and effective IDPs from incomplete and less effective IDPs
- identify the skills you want to learn in the next six months and at least one professional development opportunity to help you succeed
- establish characteristics of a productive mentor-mentee conversation and develop a plan for your conversation with your mentor
