Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility
- I am not in the Bloomberg School of Public Health or in the Public Health Studies Department, can I still apply?
- I was awarded the GHEFP or GHFRA by the CGH before, can I apply again?
- Are non-Hopkins students able to apply?
- I've never travelled outside of my home country or to a low-to middle-income country before, am I still eligible?
- How long are the placements?
- Will I have expenses not covered by the $3,500 award?
- I am graduating Spring 2019, am I eligible to apply for the GHEFP or GHFRA?
The Application
- I have submitted my application, what happens now?
- Can I apply to both GHEFP and GHFRA?
- What should a site specific essay include?
Selection and Matching
- Can I contact a PI directly to learn more about the placement?
- How are students selected for the GHEFP? AKA How does matching work?
- I am an undergraduate student - am I competing directly with graduates for these placements?
The Awards
- I was matched with a site and have accepted the grant. What now?
- How does the funding process work?
- Do I need to keep my receipts and produce an expense report?
- What else do I need to do to prepare?
- My travel dates have changed - what do I need to do?
Eligibility
- I am not in the Bloomberg School of Public Health or in the Public Health Studies Department, can I still apply?
Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply! The projects are multidisciplinary as is the field of global health in general.
- I was awarded the GHEFP or GHFRA by the CGH before, can I apply again?
A student is only able to receive either the GHEFP or the GHFRA once during their degree program. Thus, most students are not able to apply again. However, if you are entering into another degree program, please contact us to confirm whether you can apply again.
- Are non-Hopkins students able to apply?
The GHEFP and GHFRA programs are only open to students attending a school within the Johns Hopkins University.
- I've never traveled outside of my home country or to a low-to middle-income country before, am I still eligible?
Students with a range of travel experiences are welcome to apply. Furthermore, students without any previous international travel but possessing interest and a commitment to global health and cultural competency are strongly encouraged to apply. The GHEFP is a great opportunity to develop your international expertise and skills.
- How long are the placements?
Although the duration of each placement is specific to the needs and availability of the student, the faculty mentor, and the project, all GHEFP awardees must last at least 8 weeks and if travel is allowed, 6 weeks must be spent abroad at the GHEFP site. Most of our awardees spend between 2 and 6 months, and others are abroad for long periods of time. This is a program requirement and cannot be negotiated. Faculty projects can also specify longer required placement abroad.
- Will I have expenses not covered by the $3,500 award?
This depends on the placement and, of course, your spending patterns. The Center for Global Health offers the $3,500 award to defray travel costs and cannot increase the amount. Some faculty members are able to offer stipends to further support a student's expenses abroad or offer housing. These are important discussions to have upfront with a potential PI. Faculty members are allowed to offer you an hourly wage for your work on their GHEFP project if their budgets allow, but this is not required of them. Each project also specifies an estimated out of pocket cost of living in the region per month. Use this number to estimate a budget for the $3,500 award in order to determine whether a site is compatible with your personal financial situation. To do so, use our budget template. Be sure to consider the length of time the PI requires a student to be on site as it often extends beyond the GHEFP's minimum requirement of 4 weeks on-site and this will impact how you spend the $3,500 award.
- I am graduating Spring 2022, am I eligible to apply?
Unfortunately, if you are graduating during the Spring of 2022, then you are not eligible to apply for the 2022 cycle. All applicants must be returning students, i.e. who will be enrolled at Johns Hopkins during the 2022-2023 academic year.
The Application
- I have submitted my application, what happens now?
Your application will be sent to all of the PIs of the 3 sites you selected and only those 3 sites. Faculty have one month to review applications and conduct interviews (please note: not all faculty choose to conduct interviews). At the end of one month, PIs give the CGH a ranking of students in preference order. We then match their preferences to yours and offer you a placement. Please consult the GHEFP calendar for specific dates. If facutly members do set up an interview with you, be sure to consult the Center's interview guidelines and tips!
- Can I apply to both GHEFP and GHFRA?
Under normal circumstances, yes, all students eligible for both GHEFP and GHFRA are allowed to apply to both programs. However, students are only able to accept one award. The Center endeavors to announce the two awards on the same day so that students can make a decision. If the award announcements are staggered, then GHFRA/GHEFP applicants will not have to formally accept one program before hearing back from the other. The GHFRA is not available during the 2021 cycle due to COVID-19 repercussions.
Selection and Matching
- Can I contact a PI directly to learn more about the placement?
Yes. Each placement description includes faculty contact information. If you have a question about a placement you should contact the PI. However, please remember that a PI cannot offer you a placement - only the CGH can do that. Faculty are required to consider all applicants. This opportunity is not meant for students who already have a relationship with PIs.
- How are students selected for the GHEFP?
When you applied, you ranked up to three sites in preference order. Faculty members do the same for students who applied to their site. The vast majority of students and faculty are matched first choice/first choice. Once those matches have been made, we give more weight to the students' choices and so on. PIs can NOT offer you a placement. You MUST be matched by the CGH. Students are allowed to change their rankings once during the interview period (by March 16, 2021 at 5:00pm).
- I am an undergraduate student - am I competing directly with graduates for these placements?
Not necessarily. Most faculty who accept undergraduate students will be matched with both a graduate and undergraduate student. Graduate students compete for one spot and undergraduates compete for the other. ***The GHEFP will only be accepting applications from graduate students for the 2021 cycle.
- What should a site specific essay include?
The site specific essays should be a mini cover letter that articulate your specific qualifications for the project, site and projected role. This is an opportunity to present yourself as the ideal candidate for each particular site. Each one will specifically accompany your application to the individual faculty member. They should be a maximum of 250 words per statement. It is also critical to elaborate on why you are interested in each site.
The Awards
- I was matched with a site and have accepted the grant. What now?
Now you have to meet with your PI and fill out a bunch of documents! These forms will be sent to you in an email but you can find many of them here. Your grant will not be disbursed until the required forms are turned into the CGH. You must also attend the orientation on April 7, 2021.
- How does the funding process work?
The grant is disbursed through your paycheck in one sum. If you are not an employee at the University, you will need to fill out an I-9 and meet with our payroll specialist. You do not need to submit receipts to the CGH. International students may have taxes withheld from their grant. For questions about this you should contact the JHU tax office.
- Do I need to keep my receipts and produce an expense report?
Although the Center does not require an expense report or documentation of your expenses, we do expect our awardees to think critically about how they will use their funds over the course of their 6+ weeks overseas. Consult our budget template to better understand how you will spend your $3,500 award.
- What else do I need to prepare?
The rest is all up to you: You will need a passport and visa. You will also need to visit a travel clinic for any vaccinations and medications. These preparations all need to be made well in advance!
- My travel dates have changed - what do I need to do?
Occasionally, after originally submitting your Faculty-Student Agreement (FAS) to the Center your travel dates change. Please be sure to email us jhsph.ghgrants@jhu.edu as soon as you know that your travel dates will deviate from those written into the FAS and share by when you expect to know your new dates. Notify Lillian again once you have nailed down your new dates, submit an updated FAS (in-line edits are acceptable, signatures do not need to be reacquired), cc your faculty mentor on both emails, and update your profile under the group travel section of the Johns Hopkins International Travel Registry.