Paul S. Lietman Travel Grant Program: Eight Years of Support for Global Health Training

Nina A. Martin | Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health

Global elective experiences can be inspirational, powerful, and defining moments in a physician’s training – opportunities to transcend borders and learn across disciplines to better understand the drivers of illness. To support trainees who wish to make global health a part of their careers, the Center for Global Health (CGH) established the Paul S. Lietman Travel Grant Program for Housestaff and Fellows. Each grantee receives $3,500-5,000 to be used towards an approved international rotation.

Since the program started, we have funded 148 housestaff and fellows to learn and train at independently-identified electives. Many travel to sites where Hopkins faculty have long-term research and clinical projects, allowing for continued mentorship and engagement both overseas and after they return. You can also find more about the impact of the program in a 2018 report presented to senior leadership of the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

 

Each year, we two host cycles of the Paul S. Lietman Travel Grant program to support housestaff and fellows who want to pursue a global health career. Residents and fellows from across JHU must identify an elective of their choosing and submit an application describing how this experience will help further a career in global health. All rotations must be approved by their program director, local collaborators, and the Johns Hopkins Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education. Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health with significant experience in global health. Awardees receive $3,500-5,000 and have one calendar year to spend funds. Upon return, they must complete a set of requirements designed to help them reflect on and process the experience, and present at CGH’s annual Global Health Day.

 

Over eight years, our awardees travelled to 39 countries and came from 27 departments or divisions at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Bayview Medical Center, and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. You can hover over the infographic below to learn more about the where previous awardees have travelled. Among many things, returning awardees have stated that their elective helped them better understand the practice of medicine in lower-resource setting, and how clinical care differs between the US and lower- or middle-income countries. Many also shared in their personal reflections the nuances of navigating a new culture and each country’s unique social contexts and health challenges.

 

CGH is committed to supporting trainees in their pursuit of better health for all. You can read each awardee’s personal reflection on their individual webpages.