The application process is circular, not linear. Challenge yourself to REFLECT, EXPLORE, PLAN and CONSULT, before you APPLY. Be humble and accept feedback with grace, before you compile or submit your application.
GFEFA applicants:
Please read all the instructions carefully. Applications are due Thursday, February 21.
Instructions can be found in the horizontal blue tabs on this page: https://www.sph.emory.edu/rollins-life/community-engaged-learning/global-field-experience/students/index.html
This is a pdf version of the application so you can gather answers to all the fields and all the required components in Word first: https://www.sph.emory.edu/rollins-life/documents/12.17.18-PDF-version-of-GFEFA-Application.pdf
Your faculty guide must submit this form before you apply: https://sphadmissions.emory.edu/register/gfefafacultyguideconf
Finally, the application - (cannot be saved, compile responses in Word first and then cut and paste into the form and submit all at once): https://sphadmissions.emory.edu/register/gfefaappforfunding
Think about your priorities and the skills you want to develop during your summer field experience. Use this worksheet to guide your thoughts.
For funding consideration, a GFE project must be an applied public health field experience of value to the community and the student.
Identify an opportunity for your global field experience.
Opportunities and ideas are everywhere!
Use the provided “Guide for Host Organizations” inform them and facilitate discussions with your host organization.
Make sure you have a local contact that you are working with throughout the project development and that they contribute towards both your project AND supervision during the program.
Communicate in advance on project components (e.g., rainy season, dry season, Ramadan, populations at risk, personal and beneficiary risk mitigation, confidential data management, etc.)
| Item | Average Cost |
|---|---|
|
International Flight |
$1,242 |
|
Housing |
$742 |
|
Food |
$494 |
|
Utilities |
$51 |
|
Incidentals Personal Fun/Travel |
$416 |
|
Internet & Phone |
$100 |
|
In-Country Transportation |
$196 |
|
Visa & Immunizations |
$240 |
|
Work Related Expenses |
$107 |
|
Other/Miscellaneous |
$250 |
|
TOTAL |
= 3,838 |
Find a faculty guide in the fall semester if possible – this could be your advisor, a mentor, an APE advisor or someone with expertise in the country, topic or methodology you are proposing.
Purpose of Global Field Experience Financial Awards
The Rollins School of Public Health values applied public health learning experiences. The purpose of the Global Field Experience Financial Award (GFEFA) is to provide supplemental funding to RSPH students participating in public health fieldwork in low-‐resource or high-disparity global settings. To qualify for an award, a student’s proposed global field experience project must be well-‐defined, rational and feasible; integral to the student’s public health training; of measurable value to the host organization/community; and based in a clearly articulated, mutually beneficial partnership. In addition to enhancing students’ skills and experiences, a successful global field experience can increase the capacity of host organizations, strengthen faculty/Emory ties with host organizations, contribute to faculty research and attract outstanding students to RSPH.
For the purpose of consideration for funding, priority consideration will be given to eligible fieldwork that will take place in low- and middle-income nations as defined by the World Bank (https://data.worldbank.org/income-level/low-and-middle-income?view=chart). The committee may also consider funding proposals for fieldwork in high-income nations with underserved and/or vulnerable populations. Examples of previously approved field experiences in high-income nations include immersive work with First Nation/Native communities in Alaska and Canada and with Syrian refugees in Brussels.
Faculty Responsibilities
Students must have an RSPH faculty member read, review and advise each proposal; the person selected may be the student’s assigned advisor or mentor but at the least should be a faculty member with interest in the project or expertise in the proposed region, topic, or methodology. For the sake of the application, this faculty person is referred to as a “guide”. GFEFA applicants are encouraged to develop fieldwork proposals and seek a faculty member early in the academic year to allow ample time for faculty consultations, site selection, and securing appropriate support letters. The RSPH faculty member must read and sign off on the final financial award application submitted to the committee to verify that it meets the expectations for a GFEFA (an example of this form appears at the end of the PDF). The faculty member may also assist in partner development of the fieldwork host/site contact which may include facilitating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the site and the RSPH (in collaboration with Student Services).
Note: Your application is not complete until your faculty guide has submitted the Faculty Guide Confirmation Form
Fieldwork Host/Site Contact
Students must also work closely with the agency and local contacts to identify a specific role to play in support of the project goals and objectives in the field. The host letter serves to verify this information. This approach allows students to gain valuable practical experience while making important and tangible contributions to their host organization’s success.
Eligibility
The GFEFAs applications are open to RSPH MPH and MPSH students pursuing summer fieldwork, usually between their first and second years. The field experience must be a minimum of six weeks but average field experiences are between 10-‐12 weeks. Students must be enrolled at RSPH or Emory for the semester following their field experience to qualify for a financial award (and to meet award requirements).
IRB and Fieldwork Ethics
Consult with your faculty guide about current IRB requirements. If indicated, student must provide proof of IRB determination before funds will be dispersed. Request a determination here: http://www.irb.emory.edu/forms/review/request.html
For further information on necessary procedures, contact the Emory IRB website or office. http://www.irb.emory.edu/forms/international.html
GFEFA applications must also include ethical considerations above and beyond IRB considerations.
Additional Information about Award Funding
Funding Source and Amount of Awards: GFEFAs are made possible through the generous support of endowment funds established to give RSPH students the opportunity to obtain supervised field training and to enable the transfer of classroom knowledge into practical experiences. The money provided is a grant that students do not have to repay. The total amount of funding awarded will be based on availability of funds in a given year and the number of students who apply and the quality of the applications.
Appropriate Uses of the Award:
Conditions of Accepting a Funding Award:
If a student accepts funding from the GFEFA committee, the student must complete the following by 4/6/2019:
User guide for registering in My Trips: https://www.internationalsos.com/MasterPortal/images/ClientAssets/assets/docs_173/MyTrips_User_Guide.pdf
Provide a screen shot showing you have completed these video tutorials: https://www.internationalsos.com/elearning/comprehensive/
The following information will be necessary to complete the application—please collect all necessary information in advance to only submit one accurate online form.
***Save all of these components in a word processing document so that if your initial application is not accepted, and you are given the opportunity to revise and resubmit, you can revise first in the word processing document before re-submitting online.***
Section I - Applicant and Project Information
Student Contact Information
Project Information
Field Site Information
Section II - Abstract
Provide an abstract of your proposal, 250 words or less. An abstract should include summary statements about your project’s importance, objectives, methods and deliverables.
Section III - Detailed narrative
Essential background, context and motivation for the work that you will be doing. (500 words) Please include information on the significance of the proposed work and why it is important to the specific country and community where you will be working and to the field of public health. This section should include a brief literature review. References/Citations should be uploaded as a separate file and do not count toward the word limit.
Project objectives. (250 words) Clearly identify your research question or project scope. Describe the objectives of your project. Use SMART objectives, that is, your objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. Be sure to clearly define your specific role and responsibility in the project. If these are embedded in a larger project or a team, show the relationship and where your discrete project fits in the larger project.
Methods. (350 words) What methods will you use to achieve the objectives of the project? Be specific. All proposals are not necessarily research proposals, but you still must have methods to achieve your objectives.
If you are not experienced and prepared in the methods you propose, are there other methods you might use to assist the organization and achieve your goals?
If your project puts you or your beneficiary/target group at increased risk, you must detail how you will mitigate the risk (this includes physical risk but also emotional or stigma-related risk if working with certain topics and/or populations). If you are working with communicable diseases or a population experiencing an outbreak, you must include your Personal Protection in Outbreak (PPO) considerations.
If you intend to conduct data collection, provide a copy of your instrument as an attached file. It may be in draft form. Explain how you will complete the instrument, the data collection process and the report. If you will conduct an evaluation, provide the evaluation instrument or plan. If you are going to participate in developing or implementing a training program, provide a draft curriculum. Include draft tools as attachments, indicating you will revise in-country based on input from your stakeholders.
Committee concerns in the past have most often been in the areas of ethics and research methods. Please review your proposal carefully with a faculty mentor well in advance. For example, if you plan to conduct focus groups of adolescents in an STI clinic in Uganda – what are the ethical implications and considerations regarding stigma, limits on confidentiality, working with minors, discussing sexuality, etc.
Deliverable/s. (200 words) Provide a detailed description of the deliverables that you will provide to the organization/community and how you plan to share this information with stakeholders. (Examples of deliverables include a final report, a curriculum, a training module, an evaluation, a research study manuscript, draft legislation or policy proposal, etc.
Learning objectives and career goals statement. (200 words) What skills, knowledge and experience do you want to gain as a result of the project? How does this project relate to your career goals?
This is also the section where you would describe any previous qualifications (i.e. experience, language) that justify how you are the appropriate person to complete this project and describe how this experience will utilize your public health practice and any additional perspective. Describe your previous training, coursework or other preparation (mentoring support from faculty experts; online course; etc.) in the specific methods to be utilized (survey research, interviews, focus groups, evaluation, curriculum development, needs assessment, etc.).
Timeline. Global field experiences must be at least 6 weeks in duration. Describe your specific project plan for the time that you will be in the field as well as any additional preparations before departing and steps that you must complete upon your return. As you prepare your timeline, consider the potential impact of the rainy season in some regions, the potential impact of Ramadan or other holidays or festivals in your host community; how long might it take to build relationships in-country to facilitate access to the populations on which your project depends?
Be sure to include plans for sharing your findings while you are in-‐field and any necessary follow-‐up.
Create a GANTT chart and provide this along with your application as an uploaded attachment. See http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/project-planning-tools/overview/gantt-chart.html
Budget. Detail the budget for your project and the expected source of funds for each line item. Consider language requirements and your ability to mitigate any translation and cultural understanding concerns. Budget for a translator or local teams if applicable.
GFE financial awards will not cover all expenses.
Section IV - Letter of invitation
The letter should include:
Section V Current curriculum vitae or résumé
Upload your CV or résumé. Be sure that the CV or résumé reflects the experience or qualifications indicated in your career goals section. (Get help in advance from the staff in Career Services or one of the Career Development Ambassadors.)
Uploads:
For reference only: APPLICATION ASSESSMENT
All proposals are reviewed by the GFEFA review committee, comprised of personnel in RSPH with significant global health experience and experience supervising students conducting summer field work. Each application is read and evaluated by at least 2 committee members using a standard score sheet. Based on scores, application decisions will be: 1) accept with no revisions; 2) accept with minor revisions to discuss with faculty member; 3) revise and resubmit; or 4) reject.
NOTE: Proposals are evaluated against the criteria not against one another. However, proposals accepted with no revisions will receive higher funding than those that require revisions and resubmission.
To see how your proposal will be evaluated, please review the application assessment rubric.
When you have compiled all of this information AND your faculty guide has reviewed it with you in detail, AND you have made edits, AND your faculty guide has completed this Faculty Guide Confirmation Form, then you are ready to complete the online GFEFA Application for Funding.
For additional tips from the student perspective see:
| Application Deadlines | Date |
|---|---|
| Application Opens Online | December 19, 2018 |
| Faculty Member Sign-off Required | February 20, 2019 |
| Applications Due |
February 21, 2019 9:00 PM |
| First Tier Notifications Sent | March 8, 2019 |
| Revise and Resubmit Deadline |
March 21, 2019 9:00 PM |
| Final Notification Sent |
March 29, 2019 |
| Pre-Departure Training |
April 6, 2019 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM |
|
Heather Zesiger, PhD, MPH, MCHES
Deborah McFarland PhD, MPH |
|---|