I am a medical student and would like to get involved in global health

How can I learn more and become involved in some way?   If you are just starting out on this, then you might want to start by familiarising yourself with what is currently going on, learn a bit more about global health/international development and perhaps become involved in a small way with a cause that resonates with you.      1. Find out what is going on at the moment in global health internationally, nationally and locally    Read the Network's Newsletter : An easy way to familiarise yourself with what is going on locally, nationally and internationally on a regular basis would be to sign up to receive the Network’s Newsletter. It comes out fortnightly and provides information about local, national and international news, events and learning opportunities as well as information on global health research, funding sources, Sustainable Development Goals in the UK and jobs.    You can sign up to receive it here.    Student Societies : Find out about student societies and perhaps join one e.g.    Amnesty International Engineers Without Borders Friends of MSF Lawyers Without Borders Oxfam  Student Action for Refugees United Nations Association      2. Learn more about global health/international development and issues involved in working abroad    Join in Wessex Network Events : These are great opportunities to find out more and expand your own network of local people involved in global health. Events are advertised in the Newsletter and through this website.    Sign up to receive some global health journals : Our Learning about Global Health section provides links to a range or journals as well as other ways that you can learn more about global health.    Explore the Network’s website more : You can find out, for example, about    the Sustainable Development Goals (the global agenda for health) and how these evolved the UK Government's policies on global health practical day to day advice about working abroad guidance on partnership working with colleagues abroad    Find out if you can undertake an Intercalated Degree in Global Health : Intercalation is where a student takes an offical break when studying for an academic degree. This could include doing a course in global health or being involved in a piece of research. Southampton and Winchester Universities run their own Masters in Global Health and they are available in other parts of the country too.    Follow this link to the Personal Stories page to see a short interview with Joanna Kalderon who describes her experiences when she took an intercalated degree.    NEEDS TO BE ADDED   Short Online Introduction to Global Health : If you don't want to take a whole year out, but want to have a short introduction to global health, then you might want to have a look at the course developed by the Wessex Global Health Network in collaboration with the University of Winchester. Follow this link to learn more.      3. Become involved in some global health related work   There are many pieces of research abroad being carried out by people in Wessex. You could link up with a project and perhaps contribute to the research. You could see if a Health Partnership would like some of its work evaluated.     Go to the "Universities" section of the website to see the research being carried out in Low and Middle Income Countries (LIMCs) by Wessex Universities and who is involved in the research.  Follow this link to see the Wessex Health Partnerships working with partners in LIMCs.  Ask your tutor for advice.    Become involved locally on a a project in the UK related to a Sustainable Development Goal : You might want to consider something related to, for example, homeless people, asylum seekers, poverty, hunger, climate change, inequalities. Examples of organisations involved include :    Sustainability : Organisations that can help on sustainability in healthcare include The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. There are many more, however, e.g. Friends of the Earth, World Wildlife Fund,    Poverty : Several organisations exist to combat poverty e.g. Child Poverty Action Group, Trussel Trust (which focuses on hunger related to poverty)  Homelessness : There are various local projects and charities include Shelter, St Mungo's. Refugees : There are many organisations working with refugees. To find out what is going on in your area, have a look at the City of Sanctuary UK website.    Follow this link to the Personal Stories page to listen to some work that a student in Southampton, David Hendry, undertook with refugees.         

There are a couple of separate but related things you might want to think about – the academic career pathway itself and global health.    Academic Career Pathway    What is an academic career pathway?     An academic career pathway is one that takes you from being a university graduate through to having your own research department. Early on it requires developing knowledge, skills and experience around research itself and building up a portfolio of research, including journal publications. Later on it requires the ability to write successful grant applications, supervise staff and PhD students, build relationships with the relevant policymakers and develop good management and political skills.    What qualifications do you need?    You will need to have a university degree at Undergraduate or Masters level as your starting point. You may also find it useful to have some training in research methodologies too, as this might increase your chances of finding jobs. If you are able to secure an internship or placement during your degree, then that is also very helpful.   To establish your credentials and understand the research process, you would be advised to undertake a PhD in the subject of your interest. You need to take good advice on this. You may spend at least 3 years doing a PhD, so having the subject matter relevant to your long term interests can be useful e.g. knowing who does what in your field and establishing the networks.  Sometimes PhDs can be funded as part of a research post advertised by a university.    The PhD does not have to be done straight after the BSc or MSc, it can also be done whilst working as a researcher. Other ways of submitting for a PhD include a "Three Paper Format" and "PhD by Publication".    Obtaining research posts   At the beginning of an academic career when someone has little experience, it would be common to apply for a research post advertised by a university. (The funding for this would usually come from a successful research grant application by an experienced academic.)   The posts tend to be short term (ranging from a few months up to 3 - 5 years) and they often also require the postholder to be involved in teaching. This means that you will need to look for another research post towards the end of the contract, which may or may not be available at the same university. Teaching skills or experience can be helpful as well.    As you become more experienced in research, you may later be able to apply for a research grant to support the research you are wanting to do yourself. Successful applications are more likely for people who have a track record of good published research.     Follow this link to see examples of organisations that offer research funding.    Things you can do now    Look at other guidance available e.g. on the web  Talk to someone in the field and learn from them. (Have a look at the "Universities" section of our website to find people involve in global health research.)  Consider whether finding a mentor might be valuable to you.  If you are a student, you could see if you could become involved helping in someone’s research, perhaps on a voluntary basis. You would begin to find out what is involved and, even if you cannot get your name amongst the authors of the publication, it would look good on your CV.   Professional and Skill Development : If you want professional development and to improve your own skills, the Global Health Network's Training Centre offers a variety of courses to do this.      Global Health    Global health is a big topic, so you may want to find a way to become clear about the aspect in which you are particularly interested.    a) If you already have a clear view : Ask around, find the people who are already in the field and go and talk with them.    b) If you are not sure : Find out more about the options and develop some networks. Get to know who is doing what and where, who are the people who would be pleased to help people in their career. (Have a look at the "Universities" section of our website to find people involve in global health research.)    If you want to take a more general approach at this stage, you might want to consider an MSc in Global Health, Public Health or a course in Epidemiology where there is the option to select a global health module,    To become more aware of what is going on, you could ...   : Sign up to receive    The Network Newsletter that comes out fortnightly. It includes local and national news and events, recent research, funding opportunities, jobs. Follow this link to subscribe.  academic journals on global health e.g. The Lancet Global Health, The Lancet Planetary Health, BMJ Global Health.  newsletters from other organisations in which you may be interested.    : Attend some conferences and meetings related to global health to learn more. There are now many free on-line events that are being organised. You might meet people who know other people and begin to develop a network. (You can learn about these through the Network Newsletter.)   : Consider joining organisations involved in global health e.g. the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, which also has student membership.    : Find out more about the Universities in Wessex and the global health research in which they are involved.     : Find out about some of the research being undertaken by other UK universities and research consortia. 

1. Find out what is going on at the moment in global health internationally, nationally and locally    Sign up to receive the Network Newsletter : An easy way to familiarise yourself with what is going on locally, nationally and internationally on a regular basis would be to sign up to receive the Network’s fortnightly Newsletter.    Find out about student societies and perhaps join one  : There are several local societies related to global health that you could choose from e.g.    Amnesty International Cameroon Catalyst  Engineers Without Borders Friends of MSF International Federation of Medicals Students Associations Lawyers Without Borders Oxfam Society STOPAIDS Student Action for Refugees Universities Allied for Essential Medicines Students for Global Health, which is setting up a Southampton Branch.    Other organisations include :    Lancet Migration : The mission of Lancet Migration is to provide evidence for co-operation and action on one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century. It produced a report in 2018 that investigates the links between health and human migration.   Race & Health  : The goal of Race and Health is to reduce the adverse effects of discrimination that leads to poor health. It is a collective of academics, artists, activists, policy makers, grassroots organisations and individuals. It provides a hub for investigating how racism and discrimination affects health and interventions to improve health. It provides a  Newsletter, Podcasts and is on Instagram.    International Child Health Group : Students can sign up for 1 year free and receive the newsletter, apply for grants, join activities etc.. You can also subscribe to Global Health Lives, podcasts that explore some of the most important issues in global health from the point of view of the people working in it. You can also find them on Instagram.      2. Learn more about global health itself and issues involved in working abroad    Join in Network Events   These events may be in person or on-line. They are great opportunities to find out more and expand your network of local people involved in global health. Events are advertised in the Newsletter and on this website.    Subscribe to some global health journals and newsletters   Our Learning about Global Health section provides links to a range or journals as well as other ways that you can learn more about global health.    Sign up for the Student Selected Unit on Global Health :    In year 1 in SSU2 ( Medical Humanities) there is an option called Global health. Up to 18 students work together with a facilitator and get a broad introduction to global health topics examples include: Refugee health, access to Medicines, Citizen Journalism and Planetary health. It runs over about 10 afternoons in semester 2   In year 3, SSU3 provides another global health option look at the topic in more depth. This runs over 10 afternoons.   Undertake an Intercalated Degree in Global Health    Intercalation is where a student takes an offical break when studying for an academic degree. There could be several reasons why someone wants to do this and it includes taking time to explore an area of interest. This could include doing a course in global health or being involved in a piece of research. Southampton runs its own Masters in Global Health as does the University of Winchester.    Follow this link to find out more about intercalation in Southampton Follow this link to see a short interview with Joanna Kalderon who undertook an intercalated degree. .    Short Online Introduction to Global Health : If you don't want to take a whole year our, but want to have a short introduction to global health, then, in collaboration with the University of Winchester, the Wessex Global Health Network has developed an online course that takes about 10 hours to complete.      3. Become involved in some way    Research     There are many pieces of research being carried out abroad by people in Wessex and be very pleased to have some extra help. You could become involved with a Health Partnership in Wessex and perhaps contribute to the evaluation of a project.    You can find out about Wessex research taking place in Low- and Middle-Income Countries by looking at the Universities section of the website. See if any of them can help you or ask your tutor for advice.    Elective   The Medical School in Southampton is keen to help with this and medical students considering an elective abroad are advised to discuss this with the lead for student electives.   You could find a placement abroad or do a piece of global health related work in the UK.    Overseas : You would need to organise this yourself. The elective module site provides some guidance about where students have gone before and you can ask for help with this. There may be a local Wessex partnerships that can offer a good placement experience. National organisations that offer placements include The International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), The Electives Network and Work the World.       Read an example of someone who organised a placement abroad between qualifying           and starting Foundation Training.    In the UK : A small project connected with global health, for example, refugee health or one of the Sustainable Development Goals could provide some interesting insights and make a useful contribution to health. If you would like to explore this route, then contact Dr Clare Polack for advice.    Examples of work done by students in the UK in connection with refugees   Follow this link to watch an interview with David Hendry, a medical student who did some work with refugees in Southampton and read what he and Kitsty Foster, another student produced as a consequence.   Read the guidance produced by another student for people working in obstetrics and gynaecology who are involved with refugee women.      4. General Advice on Placements    It is important when looking at options for placements that you can be sure that the organisation you are joining will give you support, not put you at risk or ask you to go beyond your capabilities. Your Programme Lead can advise you on this.    Involvement in a Health Partnership : Some of the Health Partnerships in Wessex that are involved with health colleagues abroad might have opportunities to involve medical students for a short period. Should you have the opportunity to become involved, then you may find the Students in Health Partnerships Toolkit useful. It provides guidance and ideas for involving students in global health partnerships and was compiled by a partnership between the Tropical Health Education Trust and Students for Global Health,   Travelling abroad : Should you travel abroad as part of gaining global health experience, then you might find it useful to explore this website more and, in particular, have a look at the section on Working Abroad.     

I have recently finished at medical school and am starting Foundation Training. Can I do global health in my Foundation Years or before I start in specialist training?   The purpose of Foundation Training is to enable you to be safe when providing clinical care. This is an important period of training and may be all that you have time for at the moment.    However, the transition between Foundation Training and Specialist Training can be a good time to arrange a break and explore opportunities in global health. Placements need to be planned well ahead, so what you can do now is to start thinking about and planning for what you can do when you finish Foundation Training.   Good sources of advice are provided by NHS Careers, the British Medical Association (BMA) and Health Education England.    To help your planning, follow this link to see the our website's section that gives advice to someone who is finishing Foundation Training and looking for opportunities for doing some work abroad.    Very important is to discuss this with your programme director for advice and to ensure that you can pick up your training on your return and have ticked all the boxes required by the training programme.     

There are several periods during training where it is possible to gain experience working abroad. These have been usefully summarised on the NHS Careers website and is worth reading before you make decisions. Remember that the British Medical Association and Health Education England also provide good advice.    Between Foundation and Specialist training can be a convenient time to organise a break from training as it is a transition between general and specialist training. Placements can also be arranged during some specialty training programmes.    Whichever timing you decide is right, you will need to talk with your programme director to arrange this.    Placement options available   Broadly speaking you might consider opportunities to do    1. Clinical work : Placements that are (a) In-Programme or (b) Out of Programme   2. Non-clinical work : Out of Programme Placements and the Improving Global Health through Leadership Development Programme   1. Clinical Work   a) An in-programme training post abroad    A few specialties might have training posts abroad that are accredited by the General Medical Council where the time you spend in it can be counted towards your formal specialty training. Basically, it means that the quality of the placement and its educational supervision have been recognised by the GMC as being equivalent to that of an accredited training place in the UK.    However, there are not many of these types of post and they are often for very specialist experience that may be difficult to provide in the UK. An example could be managing certain types of trauma brought about by violence.    You will need to discuss this with your Programme Director.    Remember : If you do clinical work abroad you need to be registered to practice in that country and you will need some form of medical protection insurance. It is important that you know and understand the pros and cons of working abroad as well as the practicalities of how to arrange it. See our section on "Working Abroad" for more information.      b) Out of Programme Experience     In order to do some work abroad, it may be easier to have a break in your UK training. To do this you need to apply to the Postgraduate Dean for Out of Programme Experience (OOPE). This arrangement confirms that the time you spend away from it is just a break in your training and you retain your training place here in the UK.    The time you spend in an Out of Programme Placement would not count towards your training, but it can provide you with a great deal of valuable experience. Should you want to apply for jobs abroad in the future, then it can enable you to apply for jobs that require applicants to have had experience of working abroad in the past.   Placements need to be planned well ahead, so this needs to be discussed with your Programme Director and you need to be clear what you want from it.    Finding opportunities for volunteering abroad.    The are many opportunities from which to choose. The NHS Careers website provides some options and you can look on our webpage for opportunities for working abroad. See also our sectioin on "Working Abroad" for general advice.    Remember : If you do clinical work abroad you need to be registered to practice in that country. If you are working for a particular charity, then the arrangements for this will need to be clarified. You will also need some form of medical protection insurance. It is important that you know and understand the pros and cons of working abroad clinically as well as the practicalities of how to arrange it.   It is in your interests to check the support that is available for volunteers and, although being taken out of your comfort zone can be very good, it is important not to allow yourself to be placed in situations beyond your competence.       2. Non-Clinical Work    If you want a break from training to do some volunteer work abroad that is not clinical, you still need to apply to the Postgraduate Dean for agreement to have Out of Programme Experience. This ensures that you remain part of the training programme on your return. You need to talk with your Training Programme Director to work this up.    Non-Clinical Opportunities   a) Health Education England Improving Global Health through Leadership Development Programme    Placements with this programme are usually for 6 months. They are not clinical placements, but are designed enable you to develop service improvement skills and leadership development whilst on a placement in a Low or Middle Income Country. There are usually two Fellows in each location. The programme was originally developed in Wessex and provides 2 days of induction and mentoring throughout the placement. It is a highly valued programme and the skills developed will be useful wherever you work in the future.    Follow this link for more information.    b)  Visit our webpage to find examples of the wide range of organisations organising these and also our section on "Working Abroad" for general advice. 

There are many ways to do this and the more networking you can do the more ways you will find. Begin to form your own network and talk to colleagues who are already involved. If you do not know anyone, then you could contact the health partnerships that there are in Wessex and see if there is anyone you could talk to there. Follow this link to see the list of health partnerships in Wessex.    1. Keep abreast of what is happening in global health at the moment   Network Newsletter : The Wessex Global Health Network in collaboration with the South West sends round a newsletter every other week. It provides local, national and international news, local and events, a leader item, longer read, research, jobs, new funding, links to other sites, SDGs UK, media. Follow this link to sign up.    Sign up for some online global health journals : Good examples include    Lancet Global Health  BMJ Global Health Lancet Planetary Health     2. Learn more about global health itself and issues involved in working abroad    Health volunteering abroad : Find out what the NHS says about volunteering abroad in “Engaging in Global Health : The Framework for Voluntary Engagement in Global Health by the UK Health Sector”.    Professional body : Check if your professional body is involved in global health and what advice it might have.    Explore the Network’s website : Take a bit of time to explore this website, particularly the sections at the top of the page on "Resources" and "Working Abroad".    Join in Network Events : These may be in person or on-line. You don't just learn - they are great opportunities to find out more and expand your network of local people involved in global health. Events are advertised in the Newsletter and on our website.    Undertake a course global health : If you want a short introduction to global health, then you might be interested in the  Short Online Introduction to Global Health that has been put together through a collaboration between the Wessex Network and the University of Winchester. It has been designed to meet the recommendations of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on what health care staff in the UK should know about global health. It also covers the foundational domains recommended by taskforce of the Planetary Health Alliance.    Other courses : Follow this link to find out about other formal learning opportunities and other ways to inform yourself.      3. Get involved    Having prepared the ground and you are clearer about the way in which you want to become involved, the options could include : -    Combine global health experience with personal development : Consider applying for a place on the Improving Global Health through Leadership Development Programme. This is a leadership programme run by Health Education England that involves a 6 month placement abroad. It is open to NHS employees in England who have experience of working at Band 6.    Fellowships are not for carrying out clinical work. They are designed enable you to develop service improvement skills and leadership development whilst on a placement in a Low or Middle Income Country. These skills will be valuable wherever you work in the future. The programme provides 2 days of induction and mentoring throughout. Placements are in various low income countries and there are usually two Fellows in each location. Find out more.    Support a local Health Partnership : A health partnership is a formal long-term link between a charity or health institution in the UK and, most commonly, a hospital in a low of middle income country. Visits by the UK to the overseas partner are often arranged with the aim of increasing the capability of the partner.    Some partnerships may also provide some clinical work, the provision of key pieces of equipment and practical support for things like water and electrical supplies. Others may manage to arrange visits by people from the Low or Middle Income partner to the UK.    Follow this link to find the health partnerships in Wessex    Explore other partnership options : The Tropical Health Education Trust specialises in health partnerships and administers some government funds to support them.    Support or work with another organisation working abroad : Visit our section in the menu on "Working Abroad" to find the examples of the different types of organisations involved in work abroad.    Remember : If you do clinical work abroad you need to be registered to practice in that country. If you are working for a particular charity, then the arrangements for this will need to be clarified. You will also need some form of medical protection insurance. It is important that you know and understand the pros and cons of working abroad as well as the practicalities of how to arrange it.   Become involved in a research project abroad : There is a considerable number of pieces of research abroad being carried out by people in Wessex. You could join with a project and perhaps contribute to the research e.g. evaluation in support of a health partnership.    Follow one of the links under "Universities" at the top to find out about the research being carried out by people in universities in Wessex.   Work locally in the UK on a Sustainable Development Goal : This might be particularly suitable if your circumstances are such that you cannot be away from the UK.    You might want to consider work related to, for example, the homeless, asylum seekers, poverty, hunger, climate change, inequalities. It might be possible to involve your workplace in this e.g. reducing the carbon footprint of a hospital ward or department or a general practice or making sure that your general practice "leaves no-one behind" by focusing on particularly vulnerable and "left out" groups.    Sustainability : Organisations that can help on sustainability in healthcare include   The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare   Greener NHS     Moving towards a greener general practice Royal College of Anaesthetists Sustainability Strategy      Refugees : There are many organisations working with refugees. You can find more information about refugee health in our resources section. Follow these links to find out more    City of Sanctuary UK to find out what is going on in your area Royal College of General Practitioners for their guidance on Asylum Seekers and Vulnerable Migrants Royal College of Psychiatrists for their guidance on the Asylum Seeker and Refugee Mental Health.    

Before you commit yourself, learn more about global health itself.    1. Find out what is going on at the moment in global health internationally, nationally and locally    Network Newsletter : An easy way to familiarise yourself with what is going on locally, nationally and internationally on a regular basis would be to sign up to receive the Network’s fortnightly Newsletter.   Follow this link to sign up to receive it.     Talk to people already involved : Follow this link to see the the health partnerships that there are in Wessex. If you make contact with them you should be able to find someone you could talk to.    2. Learn more about global health itself and issues involved in working abroad    Join in Network Events : These may be in person or on-line. They are great opportunities to find out more and expand your network of local people involved in global health. Events are advertised in the Newsletter and on our website.    Have a look at the guidance that is available for working abroad : For example    The government : “Engaging in Global Health : The Framework for Voluntary Engagement in Global Health by the UK Health Sector”.  The BMA : Volunteering abroad as a doctor  Your professional body : It may well be involved in work abroad and provide some guidance and advice.   Explore the Network’s website more : You can find out about   the global agenda for health (the Sustainable Development Goals) and how these evolved the UK Government's policies on global health advice for NHS volunteers to become involved   For practical day to day advice, have a look at the section on Working Abroad.    Consider a short course on global health : In collaboration with the University of Winchester, the Network has put together a Short Online Introduction to Global Health. It has been designed to meet the recommendations of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on what health care staff in the UK should know about global health.    Other ways to learn about global health : Follow this link to find out about other learning opportunities.    Training to work abroad : Follow this link to see organisations that provide this.    3. Get involved    Having prepared the ground and you are clearer about the way in which you want to become involved, the options could include : -    Support a local Health Partnership : A health partnership is a formal long-term link between a charity or health institution in the UK and, most commonly, a hospital in a low of middle income country. Visits by the UK to the overseas partner are often arranged with the aim of supporting partners in areas they have requested.   Some partnerships may also provide some clinical work, the provision of key pieces of equipment and practical support for things like water and electrical supplies. Others may manage to arrange visits by people from the Low or Middle Income partner to the UK.    Follow this link to see the local health and charity health partnerships in Wessex.   Explore other partnership options : The Tropical Health Education Trust specialises in health partnerships and administers some government funds to support them.    Support another charity that works abroad : Follow this link to find examples of national charities that work abroad.    Work abroad for another organisation : Follow this link to find organisations that advertise and recruit to posts.    Remember : If you do clinical work abroad you need to be registered to practice in that country. If you are working for a particular charity, then the arrangements for this will need to be clarified. You will also need some form of medical protection insurance. It is important that you know and understand the pros and cons of working abroad as well as the practicalities of how to arrange it. Work locally on a Sustainable Development Goal in the UK : This might be particularly suitable if your circumstances are such that you cannot be away from the UK.    You might want to consider work related to, for example, the homeless, asylum seekers, poverty, hunger, climate change, inequalities. It might be possible to involve your workplace in this e.g. reducing the carbon footprint of a hospital ward or department or a general practice or making sure that your general practice "leaves no-one behind" by focusing on particularly vulnerable and "left out" groups.    Sustainability : Organisations that can help on sustainability in healthcare include   The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare   Greener NHS     Moving towards a greener general practice Royal College of Anaesthetists Sustainability Strategy      Refugees : There are many organisations working with refugees. You can find more information about refugee health in our resources section. Follow these links to find out more    City of Sanctuary UK to find out what is going on in your area Royal College of General Practitioners for their guidance on Asylum Seekers and Vulnerable Migrants Royal College of Psychiatrists for their guidance on the Asylum Seeker and Refugee Mental Health.