Global Field Experience Financial Award
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The Global Field Experience (GFE) Financial Award is a unique scholarship offered by the Rollins School of Public Health. The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage students interested in global health to participate in supervised field training which will facilitate the transfer of classroom knowledge into practical experiences.
Thank you to GFEFA for supporting me to accomplish a practicum in a beautiful country. A "Thermometer Hero" initiative to enhance health literacy among local children aged 10 to 15 in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. This activity focuses on remote areas in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Timor Island, Sabu Island, Rote Island, Pantar Island, Semau Island, and Alor Island. I selected six schools on these six islands to accomplish this activity. I collaborated with a local NGO named Pijar Timur Indonesia, which also focuses on developing education and health for children.
2022 GFE Financial Award recipient
Guidelines
- GFE Financial Awards provide supplemental funding to support Rollins student summer field experiences in low- and middle-income countries.
- GFE Financial Awards may also provide supplemental funding to support "glocal" summer field experiences. In this case, these are experiential learning opportunities in the United States that work alongside unserved, underserved, or marginal populations. As an example, a student could be funded for creating and implementing capacity building programs for organizations that work with refugee communities in Clarkston, GA.
- Projects that do not have any interaction with global or glocal communities will not be considered for this award. As an example, a student will not be funded for analyzing program data for an organization, if the student will not be interacting directly with the communities that they are serving.
- The total amount of funding awarded each cycle will be based on availability of funds in a given year, the number of students who apply and the quality of the applications.
- MSPH and MPH students from all departments are eligible to submit a proposal for a GFE Financial Award and must be enrolled at Rollins for the semester before their field experience to qualify for an award. They must have completed a minimum of 9 credit hours at Rollins.
- Additionally, they must have connected with a faculty advisor and secured an opportunity with a host organization prior to applying for the GFE Financial Award. They must work with their faculty and host organization to develop a project that is:
- 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
The 2025 GFE Financial Award Tentative Timeline
| Event/Activity | 2025 |
| Identify a faculty advisor and secure an opportunity with a host organization. | Students may begin searching for opportunities now. Many, but not all, opportunities will be posted on 12Twenty. Reach out to faculty members Apply on 12Twenty View examples of previous experiences |
| GFE Application OPEN | Tuesday, January 14 |
| GFE Application DUE | Friday, March 14 |
| GFE Team enrolls all applicants in the Public Health Pre-Departure Course | Monday, March 17 |
| Faculty Committee reviews applications | Monday, March 17 - Friday, March 28 |
| Faculty Committee deliberation meeting | Monday, March 31 |
GFE Award Letters Sent to Students GFE Revise / Resubmit Letters Sent to Students | Wednesday, April 2 For students awarded GFE, award letters are due on Monday, April 7 |
| GFE Resubmissions Due | Monday, April 7 |
| Faculty Committee Review | Tuesday, April 8 - Friday, April 11 |
| GFE Award Letters Sent to Students | Monday, April 14 For students awarded GFE after the resubmission process, award letters are due on Thursday, April 17 |
| Public Health Pre-Departure Course Due for all students traveling abroad | Friday, April 25 |
Please note: If the student is approved to receive an award, the student will typically receive award funds after they have provided the necessary account information. The award is meant to supplement the student’s funds. The GFE Award will typically NOT cover all costs that the students will incur for the international project.
Criteria
GFEFA Student, Project, and Site Eligibility and Exclusion Criteria
- The GFEFA applications are open to currently enrolled RSPH MPH and MSPH students pursuing summer fieldwork in global and glocal communities as defined above.
- The field experience must be a minimum of six weeks, but average field experiences are between 6 ‐ 12 weeks.
- For the purposes of GFEFA, a field experience is defined as applying public health knowledge and skills in partnership with a community to advance the well-being of a population(s); this includes but is not limited to research projects with an experiential learning component (e.g. direct interaction with global and glocal communities).
- Funding is not provided for student travel that can be categorized as medical or public health "tourism;" short term mission opportunities; or shadowing clinicians in settings abroad. Students are also warned not to fall prey to third-party companies that "sell" experiences in LMIC and call these APE even though they do not offer public health supervision nor a specific implementation/research partner. Such organizations often charge for a services such as tuition, enrollment, or registration. If you are not sure if your site is eligible, please contact Dr. McFarland.
- The review committee gives consideration to eligible fieldwork that takes place in low- and middle-income (LMIC) nations as defined by the World Bank or within indigenous regions, e.g. tribal designated statistical areas (TDSAs), land base or reservations.
- Consideration will be given to projects in the United States and other high-income countries for specific projects related to underserved or marginal populations, e.g. refugee populations in Belgium, post-hurricane environmental data collection in Puerto Rico or Zika virus education and surveillance in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- The review committee will not consider applications to countries with a U.S. State Department Level 4 warning at the time of application. Level 3 applications will be reviewed and approved by the GFE Team.
- Should the risk of a project site escalate after funds are awarded, additional criteria may apply and there is a chance the trip may not occur at all. In addition, travel to all countries under trade or economic embargoes by the United States government (OFAC) require a specific endorsement by Emory's international insurance carrier.
- There may be modified site eligibility in Summer 2025 based on US State Department or Emory University Travel Recommendations.
Information for Current Students and Faculty
Get more details about the Global Field Experience Award on 12Twenty (Login Required) from the most recent information session.
Studying in Nicaragua
Rollins alum, Samantha Luffy, MPH, pursued the Global Field Experience while in the Global Health program. She designed a qualitative study in Nicaragua composed of focus groups and in-depth interviews where women could discuss their experiences surrounding unintended pregnancy in the context of Nicaragua’s national law that bans abortion in all circumstances. “It was one of the most valuable things that stands out in my career at Rollins. I feel like that experience opened the door to all of these professional accomplishments that I can now look back on and say, I did this from square one.”
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