DGHI’s Student Research Training Program Now Accepting Applications

SRT Tanzania

Meeting in Machame, Tanzania, where the SRT Tanzania team presented their health screening research findings to the community. Photo by Simone Pitre.

Published October 2, 2015 under Education News

The Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) is now accepting applications for their Student Research Training (SRT) Program, a global health experiential learning program that engages undergraduate students in the development, implementation and assessment of a community-based project. 

In the SRT Program, teams of three to four students work with a partner organization from the local community under the mentorship of a DGHI faculty advisor. Program participants receive a grant to cover their fieldwork expenses.

SRT to Date: 25 Teams, 10 Countries, Broad Range of Projects

Since its inception in 2011, the program has supported 25 teams—totaling nearly 90 students—in 10 countries, including Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Sri Lanka and the United States. Projects have ranged from studying the mental health needs of orphaned and vulnerable children in India to assessing motor vehicle injury rates in urban Sri Lanka to documenting nutrition and breastfeeding practices in rural Mayan communities.

SRT 2015 participant Jay Rathinavelu was inspired by his experience in Honduras this past summer. “This summer gave me the opportunity to gain valuable perspective on the privilege I have in my life, as well as the responsibility I have to continue working on such meaningful projects,” he reflected. “While I feel I could’ve done more for the community, this program sparked a passion in me to want to engage in such service in the future in any way possible.”

This year, project sites will include Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, North Carolina and Uganda.

So What’s the SRT Program Really Like?

Although any student or faculty advisor will agree that there’s no such thing as a typical day in the SRT Program, the video below offers a glimpse into a day in the life of the 2015 SRT team based in Santa Cruz, Guatemala.

 

 
 

 

For more “real-life” accounts of the SRT Program, visit Global Health Journeys, a Tumblr site with photos, reflections, blog posts and videos posted by 2015 program participants.

The SRT program is funded by DGHI and The Laura Ellen and Robert Muglia Family Foundation.

Learn More

While I feel I could’ve done more for the community, this program sparked a passion in me to want to engage in such service in the future in any way possible.

Jay Rathinavelu, 2015 SRT Honduras participant

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