View of Lima, Peru, where current fellow and MSc-GH student Melissa Burroughs-Pena conducted her field research
Published January 6, 2015, last updated on September 13, 2016 under Education News
The Global Health Residency/Fellowship Pathway, administered by the Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, offers medical doctors a truly unique training opportunity: the option to earn a Master of Science in Global Health (MSc-GH) through the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) in conjunction with the global health residency or fellowship.
Program Helps Trainees Bridge Clinical Practice with Public Health
Established in 2008 with funding from the Duke Graduate Medical Education Innovation Fund, the Global Health Residency/Fellowship Pathway aims to develop leaders in global health and prepare trainees to bridge clinical practice with public health principles to reduce human suffering caused by health disparities.
Many of the trainees accepted into the program have experience or a degree in public health or global health; those who do not have this background can purse the MSc-GH at DGHI.
The program is divided into three components:
- 6-week international site assessment, where trainees meet key collaborators, familiarize themselves with the facility, start formulating research ideas, and learn about site-specific clinical and cultural issues.
- Master’s degree coursework (if applicable), which helps trainees develop and refine their research skills and understand global health-related policy and ethical challenges.
- 7-12 months of on-site training, during which residents and fellows conduct mentored research and clinical care in their specialty area at their international partner site.
Since its inception, the program has awarded residencies or fellowships to 23 doctors in 12 different clinical specialties, including internal medicine, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, and emergency medicine. Program leaders are currently planning to expand the program into the areas of radiology oncology, pulmonary and critical care, and hospitalist care.
Trainees Develop Skills Critical to Global Health Research
“The option to pursue a master’s degree is a cornerstone of the program,” noted Sarah Martin, assistant director of graduate programs at DGHI. “It gives trainees the necessary skills to conduct high-quality research overseas.”
Through their MSc-GH coursework, trainees learn research methodology skills and develop an interdisciplinary perspective on their work. They can tailor the program to meet the specific needs of their research project; for example, they can select courses based on the skills they will need or the country in which they’ll be doing their research.
Experience of Residents and Fellows Benefits their MSc-GH Peers
Martin believes that the real-world experience that residents and fellows bring to the master’s program enriches the overall student experience. Many of them have already begun a successful medical career and are accomplished practitioners and authors. They tend to drive conversations in interesting directions, speak knowledgeably to the practical application of concepts, and act as peer mentors to fellow students who may be interested in pursuing medical school.
Two Trainees Currently Pursuing Fellowship and MSc-GH
Of the six current trainees, two are enrolled in the MSc-GH program—Jana Halfon, who is just beginning her research on maternal mortality in Kigali, Rwanda, and Melissa Burroughs-Pena, who recently returned from her cardiology fieldwork in Peru.
While in Peru, Burroughs-Pena conducted an observational study on the association between household air pollution and cardiac size and function. She did her research at a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Center of Excellence in Lima, Peru, under the mentorship of Eric Velazquez, Duke cardiology professor and DGHI affiliate faculty member, and William Checkley, medical director for Johns Hopkins Medicine International.
When asked how her MSc-GH coursework prepared her for on-site training, Burroughs-Pena reflected, “The MSc-GH taught me the skills to work in interdisciplinary teams that include non-physicians. In Peru, I attended several regional meetings in which I was the only cardiologist and I needed to talk about my research clearly to epidemiologists and environmental scientists.”
To learn more about the Global Health Residency/Fellowship Pathway, visit the Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health website.
To learn more about the Master of Science in Global Health, visit the DGHI website.
