Trainee Perspectives Regarding Advanced Clinical Global Health Fellowships in North America

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021 Apr 19:tpmd201589. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-1589. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTPostgraduate clinical global health (GH) training is a rapidly evolving field. To understand and improve training opportunities, we sought the perspectives of current and former trainees related to their advanced clinical training or global health fellowships and the anticipated impact on their careers. Clinical GH fellowships across North America were identified through websites and previous studies. An e-mail was sent to program directors to invite all current and former GH fellows to complete a web-based questionnaire. We contacted 100 GH fellowship programs. Fifty-two fellows from 10 different specialties completed the survey. The median fellowship length was 23.3 months, with an annual median of 4.8 months spent in low-income and middle-income countries, which was less than their reported ideal of 6 months. The majority reported satisfaction, the anticipation of career benefits, and that they would recommend fellowship training to others. Challenges included insufficient funding, mentorship, and formal curricula. Conducting research in high-income countries was a significant negative predictor of fellowship satisfaction. Most fellows (73.1%) were not at all or only a little concerned about the absence of fellowship accreditation, with only 17.3% desiring accreditation. Survey respondents were largely satisfied with their training and valued program flexibility and educati...
Source: Am J Trop Med Hyg - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research