USAID offers twin options for global health exposure

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Global Health Fellows Program provides an avenue toward achieving the “trifecta” of experience that is becoming the gold standard for a global health career - a mix of professional and overseas experience that is complimented by a master’s degree. Under the program, recent graduates or professionals can apply to work with USAID’s Bureau of Global Health in Washington or at an overseas mission office for two to four years. Along with hands-on experience, fellows get a variety of professional development opportunities including training, workshops and mentoring. GHFP is one of several global health fellowships offered by U.S. organizations. USAID also offers an internship programs for those interested in global health. Applicants for GHFP are screened and hired through the Public Health Institute, a nonprofit organization that manages the program under a contract with USAID. “However, [the fellows] work within the USAID context,” said Bob Leone, senior outreach and communications manager for the program at PHI. “All of their work colleagues are USAID people. Their on-site manager is a USAID person as well.” The application process may come across as a hybrid of a traditional fellowship and a job search. Applicants must create a profile on the GHFP Web site. The positions currently range from an “HIV/AIDS epidemiologist” in South Africa to a “best practices utilization advisor” in Washington. The entire selection process can take up to three months and is only open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. A fellow’s salary is based on the position’s corresponding government salary level. For overseas posts, fellows receive housing and travel allowance on top of their salary. Fellows must have a master’s degree and typically have two years of work experience when they apply, but others have up to 10 years of experience. According to Leone, the two important qualities to have regardless of the position are cultural sensitivity and the ability to quickly learn USAID procedures. A candidate’s required language skills depend on the position and the country where the fellowship will be based. But foreign assignments do not always require a second language, Leone said. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis since positions are open year-round. Currently, there are 100 fellows in the program, with 26 working in USAID missions abroad. Upon completing the program, about one-third of fellows move on to work for the U.S. government - including USAID and the State Department - while the majority pursues careers with international health organizations, according to GHFP data. “What the fellowship allowed me to do was to grow professionally, to become familiar with USAID,” said former fellow Marietou Satin in an interview published on GHFP’s Web site. “And when I applied to become a foreign service officer, that’s what they saw, I think, in my application, that I was ready to serve as a diplomat and represent the U.S. government overseas.” The global health internship program GHFP also offers two internship programs for undergraduate and graduate students looking to get their feet wet in global health. Neither requires a health background or specialization. For summer 2009, only 14 out of 1,300 applicants were selected by the domestic internship program, which gives successful candidates an opportunity to work on substantive projects at USAID’s headquarters for 12 weeks. Candidates must apply online by uploading their resume, writing a 150-word essay and answering a series of short questions. Internship candidates can apply for up to two openings. Compensation is based on a candidate’s experience level and amounts to between $13 and $17 per hour. “I also feel like the internship has offered great exposure to the functionality of USAID as a donor agency and how contracting organizations fit into its overall mission,” said Ashley Lykins, a former commodity security and logistics intern at USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health. Participants to the international internship program - a collaboration with the One World Foundation - have the opportunity to work with local NGOs and governments on health initiatives for about eight weeks. Prior to their placement in the field, interns travel to Washington, D.C., for orientation. This type of program covers basic expenses such as housing and transportation, but does not provide a salary. The first batch of interns were stationed in Cambodia, India and Senegal. Both internship programs are currently closed but will reopen in the last quarter of 2009. In a drive to recruit more minority candidates, the program has been reaching out to universities that serve these groups. One industry insider reckoned that currently 70 percent of people working in global health are female, and the majority of them are Caucasian. Read more global health career advice: - Global Health Jobs: What You Need to Know - Medical Group Offers Field Experience to the Resolute - US Fellowships in Global Health: What You Need to Know - Top Global Health Schools: A Primer - Health Foundation Hires Foreigners in Geneva - Getting Hired at International Medical Corps Read more career advice articles.