Global Health Corps

Increasing the impact of great organizations today

Placement and Fellow Selection

• GHC recruits placement organizations that are doing excellent work in improving healthcare access and health outcomes for the poor. Placement organizations range from small grassroots organizations to large global institutions
• Placement organizations must identify an area of need, create a job description for a fellowship position, demonstrate the capacity to absorb two new fulltime staff, and identify a clear manager for the fellow team
• Fellow candidates apply for specific positions with one of our placement organizations for which they have relevant skills and experience, and are selected jointly by GHC and the placement organization

Fellowship Positions

• GHC currently places fellows in Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, the United States, and Zambia
• Fellows work in a yearlong paid position with a manager at the placement organization who provides guidance and support
• Fellowships are available in a wide range of areas, from monitoring and evaluation to supply chain management, communications to human resources. GHC focuses on engaging young people in fields that help to build health systems and improve health services without requiring clinical training
• Fellows are evaluated regularly by placement organization staff, and through self evaluations facilitated by GHC

Fellow Partnerships

• Each of our fellows is placed with a partner fellow serving in the same organization, creating a fellowship team composed of one international fellow and one in-country fellow. This partnership is central to the GHC experience
• In our first year, over 80% of fellows felt that having a partner fellow was important or essential to the success of their work during the fellowship year

Training and supporting the leaders of tomorrow

Over the course of the fellowship year, fellows participate in a wide range of activities aimed at increasing their effectiveness as practitioners and their development as leaders. These include:

Training and retreats

• Training: The fellowship year starts off with a 2-week training and orientation for all fellows at a top university in the United States. The training serves to ground fellows in the major debates and schools of thought within global health and public service, and to encourage them to explore their ambitions and identities within this space. It is also an important time for fellows to get to know the GHC community and each other.
• Quarterly Workshops: In October and May (at the end of the 1st quarter and the end of the 3rd quarter) fellows gather on a country level for a 1-2 day meeting. Fellows evaluate progress towards the goals they set at training, share successes and frustrations. They also engage in some reflective activities around how they are living their values, how they are pushing themselves as leaders, and how they can better collaborate and support one another.
• Mid-Year Retreat: Each regional hub hosts a 4-day mid-year retreat in January or February for fellows to come together and evaluate progress to date, reflect on their work, and re-energize for the second half of the year. During the retreat, each fellow pair presents a case study of a challenge that they face in their work and look to their peers for feedback.
• End of Year Retreat: The purpose of the end of year retreat is to bring the fellows back together at the close of the year in order to reflect on successes and challenges throughout the year, to reconnect the GHC community, to make commitments and set goals for post-fellowship life.

Distance learning and collaboration

• Throughout the year, fellows participate in a range of distance learning and cross-site sharing activities. These include conference calls with other fellows and with outside advisers, and participation in an online knowledge collaboratory site through which fellows working in similar fields can share resources and experiences. We also ask all fellows to contribute to the GHC blog to facilitate knowledge sharing through writing and commentary.

GHC staff site visits and check-ins

• Regional and global staff conduct regular site visits and check-ins with each fellow. These are meant to serve as a way of supporting fellows on a personal and professional level, as well as to provide an opportunity to address any issues that arise with partners or at fellowship sites.

Professional development and networking opportunities

• All fellows are eligible to apply for support from our Professional Development Fund in order to pursue study or activities that will enhance their work during the fellowship year. This can include funding for language study or other skills-based study, or funding to attend conferences or workshops.
• Throughout the year GHC staff help to organize opportunities for fellows to engage with a broader network of development and health professionals. These can include brown-bag lunches and receptions with leaders in the field. Fellows are also highly encouraged to organize such events and seek support from GHC.
• GHC staff and alumni provide support to fellows who are applying to graduate school through advising on various programs and assistance with applications and recommendations.

Advising services

• Advising Program: Fellows can opt-in to our advising program, in which they are paired based on their interests with a leader in the field who is committed to regular communication and advising with the fellow.
• Accompaniment Program: Together with program partner Still Harbor, GHC has created an accompaniment program designed to provide emotional, spiritual, and mentor support for fellows particularly in their efforts to develop deeper awareness of self and others. Support includes GHC Chaplains available for confidential discussions during the year, as well as mental health support, assessment, and referral services through Still Harbor.

Building a global community of changemakers

Fellows build a set of shared values, commitment and skills that they carry well beyond the fellowship year. The GHC community and alumni program serve as a source of opportunity and strength throughout fellows’ lives and careers.

Community-building during the fellowship year

• The GHC community serves as a place of learning, support and discernment. Defining and discussing our values and motivation on a personal and community level is a central emphasis of GHC training and programming.
• We aim to foster relationships among fellows across sites, countries, and disciplines in order to enrich fellows’ perspective on their work in global health and public service.
• We believe the strength drawn from this community during the fellowship year improves emotional well-being and makes fellows more effective. Fellows regularly cite the GHC community and their relationships with other fellows as the most valuable thing they take away from the fellowship year.

Alumni Corps

• GHC alumni continue to pursue global health impact through diverse paths after their fellowship year. Alumni have gone on to pursue graduate degrees, continue working for our placement organizations, or work for other outstanding organizations and government institutions in the global health and development space.
• Alumni have a heightened impact throughout their lives, strengthened by both their fellowship experience and, most importantly, the community they have formed with other fellows and alumni.
• GHC is committed to building an active and engaging alumni program as our Alumni Corps grows.