Scholarly Opportunities

Global Health Certificate

The Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy (GPHAP), the Center for Global Health (CGH), and the Pritzker School of Medicine (PSOM) at the University of Chicago have worked together to design a Global Health Certificate Program for master’s degree and medical students. 

The Global Health Certificate Program requirements build on the foundation of the curriculum required at each participating school. Individuals earning the Certificate will incorporate an emphasis on global health content through coursework and field experience, building upon a strong base of knowledge in their respective fields of business, law, medicine, public policy, or social work. The Global Health Certificate Program for medical students is modeled after the existing GPHAP program, with appropriate modifications to accommodate the PSOM curriculum.

Certificate Requirements for Medical Students

Four (4) courses: including two (2) required courses and two (2) electives

Required courses:

Professor Alan Zarychta’s course, Global Development and Social Welfare (SSAD 62912), which students would take in the Spring Quarter of their MS1 year on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 – 8:20 pm, beginning Wednesday, March 20, 2024. This is a 9-week course held at the Crown Family School for Social Work, Policy, and Practice, 969 E. 60th Street. (Pass/Fail for PSOM students).

A Global Health Case Studies Course, Key Issues in Health Care: An Interdisciplinary Case Studies Approach (SSAD 46622), which students would take in Phase 3 (100 units that count toward your Phase 3 general elective requirement). This course is held at the Crown Family School on Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 8:20 pm during the Spring Quarter. Pritzker students attend the first 5 weeks of the course.

 

Two electives could be completed by any combination of the following options:

One elective can be the US Health Policy course that all Pritzker students take during the MS1 year. The second elective needs to be at least 20 hours of content. There are multiple options to fulfill this requirement.

(1)    It can consist of a 10-hour elective such as Brian Callender’s “Global Public Health” course (one of the first-year Scholarship & Discovery electives) plus another 10-hour non-clinical elective, or plus a 10-hour independent study that you would complete during your post-clerkship period (called Phase 3).

(2)   If you do not take the Global Health S&D elective as a first-year student, you could fulfill this

requirement by taking a non-clinical course through PSOM or another program in the University, so long as it is at least 20 hours of content. 

Two elective courses (electives may be completed via any combination of the following options):

  • Two 4-week, non-clinical medical school electives;
  • One 4-week elective plus a 10-week course (e.g., Dr. Sola Olopade’s Introduction to Global Health or Topics in Global Health; Dr. John Schneider’s Global HIV/STD and Community Outreach; Dr. Brian Callender’s Global Public Health; or Dr. Renslow Sherer’s Health and Human Rights);
  •  A compilation of identified lectures in master’s degree level courses, plus one additional course;
  • Independent Study (IS) plus a 4-week course;
  • D4 Laboratory at Booth plus a 4-week course;
  • Social Venture Competition at Booth plus a 4-week course.

You are required to complete at least 1 out-of-country experience. For medical students, the out-of-country experience or the scholarly project that is part of the Scholarship & Discovery (S&D) Global Health Track may serve as the practicum. 

You must attend at least 18 lectures events throughout your tenure as a medical student, aiming to attend around 4-5 per year, or 1-2 per quarter.

Application Process

Interested Pritzker students will attend an information session to be coordinated by PSOM in January. Interested students will officially apply through GPHAP in February.

Application Components

  • Academic and professional background (transcripts and resumé)
  • Personal statement discussing interest in global health (2-3 pages)

CGH Global Health Scholars Fellowship

Students are eligible to receive support for international fieldwork through S&D and other fellowships that support mentored research at PSOM. All PSOM students who propose to conduct their SRP research project on a global health topic or who are in the S&D Global Health Track will go through the established funding review processes.