Examples of internships by global health master students
Here are some examples of past internships for global health students.
Name: Adama Awasom-Fru & Lina Wallberg
Academic institution: Uppsala University, Master's Programme in Global Health
Organisation: GlobeLife
Duration: 10 weeks; 19 August – 30 October 2020
Brief description: During the internship, we assisted the project team in planning the launch meeting and set-up the homepage for GlobeLife; compiling both scientific research and news of topical importance for GlobeLife and its homepage sections. We planned and coordinate project meetings, prepared agendas and ZOOM links, prepared and circulated relevant documents, reports and drafted meeting minutes, as well as liaise with the project team members at UU and KI. We have finished our internships and are currently student representatives of GlobeLife assisting with building the student section.
Highlight of experience: learning to network with other global health professionals.
Name: Kasperi Kilpi
Academic institution: Uppsala University, Master's Programme in Global Health
Organisation: Médecins du Monde / Doctors of the World – Greece
Duration: 8 weeks; 28 August – 27 October 2020
Brief description: The first two weeks of the internship was spent in Athens at the headquarters of Médecins du Monde (MdM Greece) observing MdM activities such as primary health care, paediatric care, dental care, sexual and reproductive care, and psychological support to persons with limited or no access to the National Healthcare System. I also assisted in clinical work as a nurse and worked in emergency operations at the New Kara Tepe camp. More duties were administrative such as participating in different management meetings at the camp and provided minutes from the meetings, insights from the clinic as well as photographs to the MdM Greece administration.
Highlight of experience: I was able to see how the multi-stakeholder partnerships and interagency coordination was developed regarding the health and WASH sector on site during an emergency
Name: María Alejandra Medina Pinzón
Academic institution: Uppsala University, Master's Programme in Global Health
Organisation: ReAct – Action on Antibiotic Resistance
Duration: 4 months; 20 July- 10 November 2020
Brief disruption: Neonatal sepsis and antimicrobial resistance in children. Particularly, I worked in a web-based survey aimed to study global attitudes, perceptions, actions, experiences around antimicrobial resistance (AMR) practice among health care prescribers, particularly those treating neonates. My tasks included reviewing existing surveys to share with a small cohort of prescribers prominent in the field of AMR for feedback. As well as collate feedback on the survey to devise a final survey. Additionally, shape the survey, translate, support to disseminate, collect, and analyze survey results. Other tasks included the write-up of findings, participation in weekly meetings with the supervisor, and with the Antimicrobial Resistance – Neonatal sepsis project.
Highlight of experience: Getting hands on practical experience in the industry and establishing networks within the academic, professional, private and NGO sector.
Name: Angela Rossley
Academic institution: Uppsala University, Master's Programme in Global Health
Organisation: Yennenga Progress in Stockholm, Sweden
Duration: 2 months; 31 August- 23 October 2020
Brief disruption: I created an e-learning platform on antibiotic resistance, drug safety, and infection prevention. I also reviewed a previous study on the adaption of Performance Management Systems to the aid sector and the selection of the Key Performance Indicators in the resource-limited setting and cross-referenced with Yennenga’s projects with the Sustainable Development Indicators with the goal to recommend the best health indicators for internal and external evaluation. I also helped with the translation of organizational materials and media communications into English, as well as, participated in internal and external meetings.
Highlight of experience: Understanding interorganizational politics in Global Health / International Aid. We are working with a number of donors "members of the competence network" and that shared campaign about Congo with the Mukwege Foundation and Amnesty.
Name: Regina Escher
Academic institution: Uppsala University, Master's Programme in Global Health
Organisation: Europe Region World Physiotherapy in Brussels, Belgium
Duration: 8 weeks; 24 August- 23 October 2020
Brief description: During the internship I assisted the General Secretary of the Europe Region World Physiotherapy. Parts of my tasks were e.g. to attend (online) events at European institutions (such as EPHA, EU-OSHA, DG SANTE..) and to engage with further stakeholders, look for potential European funds and assist in preparation of the offers, assist in managing the social media channels, follow up of European regulations affecting the profession of physiotherapy and support the promotion of the physiotherapy in Europe. For example, in my case a main focus was on the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces campaign (2020-2022) which focuses on the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
Highlight of experience: I got a better understanding of the role of physiotherapy within Global health
Name: Maija Liimatainen
Academic institution: Uppsala University, Master's Programme in Global Health
Organisation: Barnombudsmannen (BoiU), a local organisation advocating for children’s rights in Uppsala county
Duration: 8 weeks; 31 August- 23 October 2020
Brief description: The aim of the organization is to strengthen children’s and youth voices, support children, make an impact on decision makers and educate about children’s rights. My tasks consisted of literature research and revising on documents from a child perspective and rights-based approach. Some projects I worked on included families on the housing market, adapting the school environment for children with neuropsychiatric diagnosis. In addition, I assisted in summarizing debate articles, collected politicians’ contact information and planned an educational day for children who have experienced racism. I participated in many meetings, both external and internal and in educational sessions regarding children. I was also part of school visits and taught children about the Convention of Children’s Rights and learned about funding within the human rights sector and did work through the lens of social determinants of health.
Highlight of experience: I used the theoretical knowledge gained at the university in a real-world setting and got an idea about the nature of the work that I could choose to do in the future.
Name: Nicole Quattrini
Institution: Uppsala University, Masters Programme in Global Health
Organisation: Karolinska Institutet, Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology
Contact information: Anders Bjorkman, Karolinska Institutet
Duration: 9 weeks
Brief description: Karolinska Institute (KI) is a world-leading medical university that carries out internationally acclaimed research in the field of medicine and biotechnology. This internship took place in the new Biomedicum research facility located on the KI Solna campus. The scope of the internship is to understand what it means to be a part of a research group that works with malaria and antimalarial resistance both from a molecular and organisational perspective. The research investigates whether the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum present in the African continent is developing reduced sensitivity to dihydroartemisinin piperaquine (first-line treatment) as its south-east Asian counterpart. The blood samples used originated from patients in different areas of the continent, thereby teaching me to handle large cohort data sets and create databases.