The Global Field Experience (GFE) Financial Award is a unique scholarship offered by the Rollins School of Public Health. GFE Financial Awards provide supplemental funding to support Rollins student summer field experiences in low- and middle-income countries. 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.
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.
The GFE Financial Award Application opens on January 14, 2025 and will be due on February 28, 2025.
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
> View slides from 2025 GFE Financial Award Info Session
> View recording of GFEFA Info Session
> View examples of previously funded Global Field Experiences.
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 by Tuesday, January 14.
|
| GFE Application OPEN |
Tuesday, January 14 |
| GFE Application DUE |
Friday, February 28 |
| GFE Team enrolls all applicants in the Public Health Pre-Departure Course |
Monday, March 3 |
| Faculty Committee reviews applications |
Monday, March 3 - Tuesday, March 11 |
| Faculty Committee deliberation meeting |
Friday, March 14 |
|
GFE Award Letters Sent to Students
GFE Revise / Resubmit Letters Sent to Students
|
Tuesday, March 18
For students awarded GFE, award letters are due on Friday, March 21.
|
| GFE Resubmissions Due |
Monday, March 31 |
| Faculty Committee Review |
Tuesday, April 1 - Friday, April 4 |
| GFE Award Letters Sent to Students |
Monday, April 7, 2025
For students awarded GFE after the resubmission process, award letters are due on Friday, April 11.
|
| Public Health Pre-Departure Course Due for all students traveling abroad |
Friday, April 18, 2025
|
Please note: If the student is approved to receive an award, the student will typically receive award funds within 9-11 weeks after they have provided the necessary account information and completed the Award Acceptance Agreement. 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.
GFEFA Student, Project and Site Eligibility and Exclusion Criteria
Student
- The GFEFA applications are open to RSPH MPH and MPSH students pursuing summer fieldwork, usually between their first and second years. GFEFA is not available to accelerated MPH students.
- The field experience must be a minimum of six weeks, but average field experiences are between 6 ‐ 12 weeks.
- Students must be enrolled at RSPH or Emory for the semester following their field experience to qualify for a financial award (and to meet award requirements).
Project
- 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.
- 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.
- If a project will consist only of data analysis or lab-based work, the applicant will need to justify why those activities require a student to be in-country.
Site
- The review committee gives priority 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 notconsider applications to countries with a U.S. State Department Level 4 warning at the time of application. 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.
Contact dmcfar@emory.edu or gferequests@emory.edu for more information.
