Global Health Internships

The Global Health Initiative (GHI) Internship Program engages students in frontline global health work with our partners around the world. GHI Interns apply knowledge and skills to real world health challenges while building research and programmatic skills. The GHI Internship Program consists of Preparatory Fieldwork Seminars in the term before, followed by internships. All internships are fully funded and pre-approved for the fieldwork requirement for the Certificate in Global Health.

Internships are available to undergraduate and medical students. Internship candidates must have at least one term in residence remaining following the internship, and undergraduate students must have completed at least three terms on campus at the start of the internship. Students are strongly encouraged to complete one course in global health prior to applying for a GHI Internship. 

All candidates must be able to participate in Preparatory Fieldwork Seminars the term before.

The Dickey Center Global Health Internship opportunities are explicitly co-designed with global partners each term.  The Summer 23 Term Offerings and Application are here.  Deadline to apply for Summer Term is April 26, 2023.

In addition, please check out the Dickey Center International Internships page for self-designed opportunities and application instructions for leave-term internships related to Global Health.

Program Design

• How does the GHI Internship Program Work?
   
  • GHI works with Dartmouth's global health partners to create internship opportunities for students. Projects are designed in collaboration with partners based on their needs and priorities and the skills and competencies of students. GHI selects students, provides training prior to the internship, and offers support both during and after the internship.
     
• Where will you offer internships this year?
   
  • Locations and numbers of internships vary based on the priorities and needs of our partners and available resources. In the late fall, we post a preliminary list of internships for the current academic year and following summer.
     
• Are GHI Internships funded?
   
  • Global Health Initiative internships are fully funded up to Dartmouth's institutional funding cap. Budgets are set by GHI based on the specific costs of the site. Interns are not responsible for developing a budget for their experiences.
     
• What do you provide interns?
   
  • GHI Interns receive a stipend to cover the cost of round trip transportation from Dartmouth to their project site, visa fees, room and board, transportation, and other essential costs in country.  At some sites, GHI arranges home stays or shared housing for interns in lieu of providing a housing stipend.
     
• What is the difference between GHI Internship and the Dickey Center's Build Your Own Internships?
   
  • GHI works directly with its partners to design internship opportunities for students. Build Your Own Internships require students to identify a host organization and design an internship independently. A second difference is that the GHI Internship Program requires students to participate in Preparatory Fieldwork Seminars the term before the internship period and to complete a project deliverable.
• What do interns do?
   
  • Intern projects vary widely across sites. Some interns work inside of Ministries of Health assisting policymakers in the preparation of manuscripts or technical documents. Other internships place students on ongoing clinical or public health research. Interns may also assist public health agencies or organizations on public health response or programmatic activities.
     
• Can I engage in clinical activities or shadow as part of a GHI Internship?
   
  • In some settings, students may be involved in research or programmatic activities in a clinical setting. Undergraduate students may not perform clinical tasks in any form as part of a GHI Internship, and medical students may not engage in clinical tasks beyond their scope of practice. Clinical shadowing is not a part of a GHI internship project.

Funding

• Do you offer opportunities of less than a term (8-10 weeks) in length?
   
  • The Global Health Initiative does not offer or fund interim, short term placements, or clinical rotations either inside or outside of the United States.
     
• Do you fund other global health experiences outside of GHI internships?
   
  • No, the Global Health Initiative does not fund other global health experiences outside of its established internship programs Undergraduate students seeking funding for term-long experiences may apply for funding through the Dickey Center's General Internship funding or through other centers on campus. Medical students may apply for summer internship funding through the Center for Health Equity (CHE) at the Geisel School of Medicine.

Requirements and Application Process

• Who is eligible for your internship program?
   
  • The GHI Internship Program is open to current undergraduate and medical students. All candidates must have one term in residence remaining after the internship period. GHI works with other schools to create global health opportunities for graduate and professional students. We encourage graduate students to discuss global health opportunities directly with their program directors.
     
• What are the requirements for internships?
   
  • The Global Health Initiative Internship program requires participation in Preparatory Fieldwork Seminars prior to departure. Interns are required to spend a full term (10 weeks for undergraduates and 6-8 weeks for medical students) in country, complete a specific deliverable, and submit a final reflection paper at the end of their experience. Internship dates are set by GHI in collaboration with host institutions.  
• What do you look for in selecting interns?
   
  • Our selection process is designed to find a close fit between candidates and our partners' needs. We look for a combination of preparation, relevant knowledge and skills, and personal readiness to work in a challenging context.  A record of strong academic performance is important but alone does not guarantee selection. Strong candidates demonstrate an interest in health equity issues either domestically or globally through coursework, community service, research, or extracurricular involvement. Skills and knowledge relevant to the specific project is particularly helpful for many internships. We also look for evidence of qualities that predispose interns to survive in a global health setting, including cultural humility, adaptability, resilience, professionalism, strong interpersonal skills, and a service ethic. Lastly, we seek students that have knowledge and skills relevant to a project.
     
• Do I need to speak a foreign language?
   
  • Students applying for opportunities in Spanish-speaking countries must pass a proficiency exam.  Language proficiency is beneficial for other non-English speaking sites but does not guarantee selection for an opportunity.
     
• How do I apply to the program? Do I need to submit additional applications?
   
  • Candidates apply to the GHI Internship Program, not to specific project sites. Candidates may preference up to three projects in their application.  Candidates apply to the GHI Internship Program through the Terra Dotta application platform. All application materials, including recommendations and supplemental documents, must be submitted through this platform. Application deadlines are strictly enforced. GHI reviews all applications and then contacts finalists for interviews. Candidates should not contact partners/host institutions directly.
     
• I was not selected for an opportunity. Can you tell me why I was not chosen?
   
  • Each year, GHI receives applications from many more qualified students than we can fund. In our past application year, our applications exceeded the number of opportunities by a factor of four. Given the volume of applications, we do not provide specific feedback on individual applications. Many unsuccessful candidates are selected for opportunities in subsequent application cycles.

How can I learn more about internships or other global health and development opportunities?

• We have several resources in place to assist prospective candidates in learning more about our program and other global health opportunities. GHI Student Interns hold walk-in office hours each week to talk about various opportunities in global health.  Appointments with the Associate Director for Global Health and Development can be made here and questions can be answered by emailing dawn.e.carey@dartmouth.edu.