Opportunities for African public health leaders of tomorrow

1/12/2015

There are many things I love about working in international public health. Among them are opportunities to work with inspiring scientists from around the world (such as my brilliant colleagues at the Rakai Health Sciences Program in Kalisizo, Uganda), and to meet vibrant young people of many different cultures, especially those excited to discuss science or public health.

This young crew helped me improve my Malagasy language skills. Madagascar, 2000.

Walking down the road one day in Kalisizo, I met a young man named Georgewilliam. He struck up a conversation, asking what I was doing in Uganda. When I mentioned being a public health scientist, his eyes lit up! He talked about his love for science, and was eager to discuss his studies in biology and chemistry. He was applying for a program in medical laboratory technology, and wanted advice on the application/interview process. I visited him the next day after work to talk about it, and we became fast friends.

Georgewilliam and I, a few days after we first met. March 2013.

A few months later, Georgewilliam received a scholarship into the Nsyamba Diploma Course in Medical Laboratory Technology in Kampala, which he began in Sept 2013. Besides maintaining a full course load, doing volunteer work, serving as a project coordinator in the students' association, and visiting his family in Kalisizo when possible, Georgewilliam was also elected Information Minister at his school. This means he works to encourage positive attitudes among his peers about education and research, provides information about job and scholarship opportunities, shares health-related information, and more.

Georgewilliam and his sweet mother, at home in Kalisizo

He's also become active on Twitter, and shares information on public health issues and opportunities.

Op-Ed: Betting on Africa’s Next-Generation Leaders | http://t.co/JRZ7HJntNO http://t.co/mYh40fGRzj
— Kalibbala Georgewill (@KalibbalaG) December 16, 2014

I think Georgewilliam will become a public health leader of tomorrow. It's been exciting to see him progress on his journey, and especially to hear about his efforts to help other Ugandan students identify opportunities to pursue their scientific path.

Study break: Martin, Jonah, and Georgewilliam looking sharp in their lab coats!

I'm sometimes contacted by young people from different parts of the world (often thanks to Twitter!) who want to make a difference in public health. Sometimes, they ask the following question, which I generally feel poorly equipped to answer: "Where can young African students (undergraduate, masters, PhD, or postdoctoral level) who are passionate about science and public health find support for scholarship and training opportunities?"

Luckily, Georgewilliam's role as Information Minister has helped him to develop some expertise on this question. So, we decided to team up and compile some helpful links. If you know of other relevant opportunities or resources, please let me know and we will add them below.

Note: Although we focused on links for African youth interested in public health, identifying opportunities for youth from elsewhere and interested in other topics is important, too! My husband is on the board of an incredible organization called Help Educate, which works with community leaders in Nicaragua to identify students with great potential and provide them with scholarships to leading Nicaraguan universities. Please check out Help Educate, and share any similar opportunities you may know of in the comments section!

PS: I can't blog about Ugandan youth who I find inspiring without mentioning my friend and visionary entrepreneur Walter Wandera, founder of Walter's Boda Boda Tours. Watch him talk about his company here. He knows nearly everything about Kampala, and his tour is one of the most exciting things I've ever done. If you find yourself in Uganda, don't miss his incredible tours.

Georgewilliam, Walter, and Jonah on the lunch stop during their Boda Boda Tour

Scholarship opportunities (in no particular order)

Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health provides a number of funding opportunities for predoctoral/graduate, postdoctoral scientists, and beyond.
Directory of non-NIH predoctoral funding opportunities: directory updated and maintained by Fogarty.
South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis SACEMA postgraduate bursaries: provide support for study towards MSc or PhD degrees, based at and supervised from any institution in South Africa, in epidemiology, biostatistics and epidemiological modelling.
Many individual universities have opportunities for international students listed on their websites (for example, here and here and here are a few US universities with opportunities for international students). Look at the website of universities you may be interested in.
Scholars 4 Dev: an updated listing of international scholarships specifically for people from developing countries, people who would like to pursue development-related fields, and people who seek global and national development through further education.
Aga Khan Foundation: provides scholarships for postgraduate studies to outstanding students from select developing countries (largely Master's level).
World Bank Scholarship and Fellowship programs: opportunities for graduate and postgraduate studies leading to masters’ and doctoral degrees in development-related fields for mid-career professionals and researchers.
Zawadi Africa Education Fund: provides scholarships to academically gifted girls from Africa to pursue higher education in the U.S.A, Uganda, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya.
Commonwealth Scholarships for Master’s and PhD study for developing Commonwealth country citizens, UK: allows students from developing Commonwealth countries who would not otherwise be able to study in the UK to benefit from postgraduate study at a University in the UK which will help them to contribute toward the development of their home countries.
Fulbright Foreign Student Program enables graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to study and conduct research in the United States.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program: an initiative to educate and prepare young people – particularly from Africa – to lead change and make a positive social impact in their communities. The Scholars Program provides young people from economically disadvantaged communities who have demonstrated academic talent and leadership potential with access to quality and relevant education (secondary and university level).
Reach Oxford Scholarships: offered to support undergraduate study to students accepted at Oxford who are from low-income countries and, for political or financial reasons, or because suitable educational facilities do not exist, cannot study for a degree in their own country.
Eric Bleumink Fund Grants Scholarships, University of Groningen Talent Scholarships for Developing Countries: provides financial support to Master’s students and PhD students from developing countries wishing to pursue a Master’s degree or doctorate.
Wells Mountain Foundation: provides support for undergraduate education to students in developing countries.
Website listing various scholarship opportunities for international students.
After School Africa: list of scholarships for African students to study abroad.

Training opportunities

An overview of the main academic public health and/or epidemiology training programs offered through African Universities: this resource was compiled by authors of this paper, and many of the links below are also described in this paper.
African Field Epidemiology Network: offers Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs), which are applied epidemiology training programs towards a 2 year, full-time, Master of Public Health Degree, or Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programs (FELTPs), which include an added laboratory component. The programs are modeled after CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service.
International Clinical Epidemiology Network (INCLEN): offers formal Master’s degree programs in health research through its Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Research and Training Centers in 10 developing countries & informal courses & workshops in all Clinical Epidemiology Units in 22 countries.
INDEPTH Network (International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and their Health): aims to build scientific leadership in member sites through Masters programs of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is now considering adding PhD programs.
Hewlett Foundation's Population Program: makes grants to strengthen key population-science training programs in Africa. The goal is to increase both the number and quality of master's and doctoral graduates. Hewlett funds support fellowships, dissertation research, curriculum development, and faculty exchanges in Africa and in developed countries, as well as the professional organizations that support population science in Africa and around the world.
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program: a non-degree program for experienced professionals offering opportunities for professional development through selected university courses, attending conferences, networking, and practical work experiences. (Three program fields of interest relate to Public Health: Public Health Policy and Management; HIV/AIDS Policy and Prevention; and Substance Abuse Education, Treatment and Prevention).
People's Open Access Education Initiative: aims to contribute to improvements in the health of populations in low- to middle-income countries by building Public Health capacity via e-learning at very low cost.

Edit 3-10-15
Joseph Byonanebye, MPH, a doctoral student at the Medical College of Wisconsin, had the following additions to add to this list. Thanks, Joseph!

The University of People offers free online opportunities for students around the globe to acquire American education. Yes, soon they plan to start bachelor’s degree in health sciences! FYI http://uopeople.edu/
The Muljibhai Madhvani Foundation Scholarship http://www.madhvanifoundation.com/
St. George’s University, Grenada http://www.sgu.edu/financial-services/sgu-som-scholarships.html
Global Health Corps Fellowship http://ghcorps.org/fellows/whats-a-fellow/

15 Comments

Matt Dubuque

1/14/2015 11:27:37 am

Hi Chelsea,

Very nice story!

I would commend him to the local Cuban embassy in Kampala. Cuba has trained thousands of doctors from Africa, putting them through medical school free of charge. Quite a few of them have specialized in public health.

As you may know, Cuba only has 11 million people but recently sent 467 doctors to West Africa to combat Ebola, dwarfing the contribution of any nation of any size.

Last month they announced that their new cholera vaccine will be rolled out worldwide this year; all the trials are now completed.

Matt Dubuque

Chelsea

1/14/2015 11:30:46 am

Matt, thanks so much for adding your comment - this is completely fascinating and I had no idea! Appreciate that you shared your insights on this!

Sruthi Chandrasekaran

2/17/2015 10:51:07 am

Thanks Chelsea for the great blog post! I'm sure this is very helpful to students from around the world! Just wanted to add a couple of these opportunities to your amazing list:

1. Felix Scholarship: For students from developing countries who have outstanding academic merit and financial need to study at Oxford, Reading or SOAS. More details: http://www.felixscholarship.org/about.aspx

2. Global Health Corps Fellowship: For students with diverse skill-sets from countries in Africa (among other countries) who are interested in applying their training in the global health space in the US and in countries in Africa. More details: http://ghcorps.org/

Chelsea

2/18/2015 01:01:13 am

Sruthi - these additions are so helpful - thanks for taking the time to share! And congratulations to you on having been awarded both of these incredible opportunities!

Lawrence Mbuga

2/25/2015 04:04:20 am

Georgewilliam is my humble Ob with a humble background.With his lovely attitude I bet the sky must be the limit for him.

Chelsea Polis

2/25/2015 04:14:44 am

Thank you for your comments, Lawrence! I agree with you very strongly, the sky is the limit for Georgewilliam! He has a wonderful spirit of determination to improve public health, compassion for his fellow human beings, and is just a lovely person, as you say! Thank you for sharing your comment.

lynnet

5/21/2015 12:05:21 pm

De struggle continues,de best kams from hardwork.may de almight strengthen u

KALIBBALA GEORGEWILLIAM

7/9/2015 04:48:39 am

We feel happy every time people finding our blog resourceful, "if i cant utilize a chance why can't others be linked and go about it", this can help those folks interested in laboratory science and education.

BIOMEDICAL LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICS (BLD) PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIPS. https://bld.natsci.msu.edu/students/scholarships-and-financial-aid/

BLD Program Scholarship applications are due February 1 of each year. Award decisions are announced by March 31 of each year and prior to the start of Summer enrollment. Please click here to download the application. Submit application to the BLD Program Office, North Kedzie Hall, 354 Farm Lane, Room N322, E. Lansing, MI 48824, Fax: 517-432-2006.

Chelsea Polis

7/9/2015 04:51:05 am

Wonderful! Thank you for continuing to add opportunities to our list, Georgewilliam! I'm so happy our collaboration has been useful. And I am so very proud of you for recently completing your program! Looking forward to hearing all about how things are going at RHSP.

KALIBBALA GEORGEWILLIAM

7/13/2015 10:09:39 pm

Afya Bora Consortium Fellowships in Global Health Leadership will be accepting applications for the 2016–2017 Fellowship year, beginning August 2015. There are 20 positions available for health professionals interested in a 12-month fellowship (starting July 2016) in one of our African partner countries (Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda).
The Afya Bora Consortium is a partnership of eight academic health centers, four in Africa and four in the United States. The four pairs are:
University of Nairobi and the University of Washington
University of Botswana and the University of Pennsylvania
Makerere University and Johns Hopkins University
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and the University of California, San Francisco

KALIBBALA GEORGEWILLIAM

7/13/2015 10:22:33 pm

CDC is looking for motivated students, graduates, and health professionals for a variety of exciting public health training programs, including Student Internships and Fellowships; Career Training Fellowships; and Post-doctoral Research Fellowships.

http://www.cdc.gov/fellowships/ http://www.cdc.gov/fellowships/StudentInternships.html

KALIBBALA GEORGEWILLIAM

7/20/2015 03:13:16 am

Undergraduate Scholarship Program

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) offers competitive scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research. The program offers:

Scholarship support
Paid research training at the NIH during the summer
Paid employment and training at the NIH after graduation

Scholarship support

The NIH UGSP will pay up to $20,000 per academic year in tuition, educational expenses, and reasonable living expenses to scholarship recipients. Scholarships are awarded for 1 year, and can be renewed up to 4 years.
Research Training at the NIH

For each full or partial scholarship year, you are committed to two NIH service obligations. The obligations are actually benefits of the UGSP, providing you with invaluable research training and experience at the NIH.

10-week Summer Laboratory Experience. After each year of scholarship support, you will train for 10 weeks as a paid summer research employee in an NIH research laboratory. This employment occurs after the receipt of the scholarship award. Each scholar will be assigned to an NIH researcher and an NIH postdoctoral fellow, who will serve as mentors. You will also attend formal seminars and participate in a variety of programs.
Employment at the NIH after Graduation. After graduation, you will continue your training as a full-time employee in an NIH research laboratory. You must serve 1 year of full-time employment for each year of scholarship.

Kalibbala Georgewilliam

9/18/2017 02:28:55 am

New Leaders for New Challenges
We believe the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program will attract the most promising future leaders from all disciplines and geographies to Stanford University. Here, you will engage in a transformative experience comprising multidisciplinary education, leadership development, and achieving a global perspective.
We are designing the Knight-Hennessy Scholars admission process with the goals of allowing you to know yourself better, enabling us to understand you, and empowering you to make your best case for admission - all while making the admission process itself a great experience for you.

https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/admission

Kalibbala Georgewilliam

10/31/2017 02:45:41 am

The “American Dream” can mean something different to everyone. For international students hoping to attend school in the United States of America, that dream means getting accepted to and paying for college. It also comes with a price tag, as the cost of higher education in the U.S. continues to rise.

Applying for scholarships is one of the best ways for students – both domestically and internationally – to offset the costs of higher education. There are thousands of scholarships available each year, ranging from academic and athletic scholarships to need-based and creative. However, the scholarship application space is cluttered with information, and not all of it is factual. Additionally, you need to be wary of scams before applying.

To help ease the process for you, we’ve put together a guide to navigating the scholarship application process, as well as a complete list of scholarships for international students.

Start the process now by exploring our list of 100+ Scholarships for International Students (2017-18)!

https://www.thesimpledollar.com/100-scholarships-for-international-students-2017-18/

Kalibbala Georgewilliam

10/31/2017 02:48:05 am

Are you a young person, age 25 or younger, who is passionate about giving back to your community? Do you have the ambition to help develop your community or country?

Apply for a Watipa scholarship – online application form.

Download a PDF Application Form 2017 so you can prepare your answers and supporting documents offline.

In September 2016, Watipa launched a new scholarship program to support young people achieve their dreams to give back to their community. In 2017, we are raising funds to sustain support to the inaugural Watipa scholars as well as extending the opportunity to some new and worthy applicants.

Our scholarship program will support young people with tuition fees and living expenses for a period of 1-3 years (depending on the needs of the scholars) as well as access to our pool of international mentors.

You can apply if you are:

15 – 25 years of age
Living in a developing country, including but not limited to Malawi, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, South Africa or Nepal
Have secured a place to study, either at an institute of higher education or secondary school. We will consider applicants starting a new course as well as those part-way through.
passionate about community development

https://watipa.org/first-hand-learning/apply-for-a-scholarship/

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