Mabelle Arole Fellowship 2010-2011
JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc
Are you currently a Pre-Med?
Are you interested in international health?
Do you want to learn about community-based health programming in a developing country?
Can you "rough it" for one year in rural India?
If you meet the eligibility requirements, consider applying to be a Mabelle Arole International Fellow for 2010-2011. JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc will begin to accept applications in December 2009. The Mabelle Arole International Fellows:
- Learn about community-driven programming, how it works, and how it contributes to a community's well-being.
- Live and work at the Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Jamkhed, India, for almost one year.
- Work with one of the best primary health projects in the world.
- Learn about the priority health care areas addressed: community-based primary care, women's health, under-fives care, family planning, control of chronic illnesses, prevention of infectious diseases, and integrated rural development.
- Work on a project, depending on current CRHP activities and your interest.
One U.S. citizen or permanent resident who has been accepted to medical school but has not begun yet will be accepted to this year-long program based in Jamkhed, India. Read about the history of the CRHP Project in Jamkhed. Informative materials, including the book, Jamkhed, written by the Aroles ($13), are available through Jamkhed International Foundation, PO Box 291, Carrboro, NC 27510 (tel: 919-929-0650; email: connie@jamkhed.org).
THE FELLOWSHIP
In 2001, JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc founded the Mabelle Arole Fellowship in honor of Dr. Mabelle Arole who died in 1999. The fellowship is named in memory of her dedication to the community and her wisdom to work with its members to determine what must be done and how to achieve improved child and maternal health status. Dr. Raj Arole, assisted by his daughter, Dr. Shobha Arole, continues to run the CRHP.
The Mabelle Arole Fellow will live, work, and learn in Jamkhed, India for one year. During that time, s/he will have experience in the hospital (in-patient and out-patient and in the field) and work on a project, depending on current CRHP activities and needs and your interest
The year begins with a 2-month course on community-based primary health care, with about 20 participants from India and other countries, most of whom are working in health and development programs. Course topics include principles and practice of CBPHC, common diseases, leadership, personal development. The training is participatory, with a lot of interaction with participants and resource persons; much of the training is facilitated by staff and village people. There is a good reference library on health and development.
The fellow will live and work on the CRHP compound, which includes the hospital, administration offices, training institute, and staff housing. Lodging is simple and basic (single or double room with a private or shared bathroom with Western-style toilet). There is a mess hall, which provides typical Indian meals. The fellow will stay in India for almost one year, at Jamkhed for 10 months and the opportunity to travel for one month (his/her own plans and expenses). The fellow will be paid a stipend of $8000 in quarterly payments. This covers housing, living expenses, and travel, including airfare to and from India.
In order to adapt to living at CRHP, you should be flexible, open, able to adapt appropriately to other cultures (including food), and interested in learning from others, especially village people.
FORMER FELLOWS
2008-2009: Jeff Holzberg (follow Jeff's experience in India at jeffisinindia.blogspot.com)
Jeff is originally from Atlanta, GA and graduated cum laude from Tufts University. He has plans to attend Emory Medical School when he returns from India. While an undergraduate, Jeff worked in clinics and hospitals in Ghana as well as Mexico and was a research assistant at CDC in Atlanta. After college, he was site coordinator for the National Student Partnership in the Bronx where he managed an office with college students who worked with low-income community members on housing, employment and health care.
2007-2008: Bernadine Han (Year End Report)
Bernie concentrated in Social Anthropology at Harvard College. During college she worked at a MCH center in Ghana and with Project HEALTH (Helping Empower, Advocate and Lead Through Health) to improve the health of pediatric patients from low-income families. After graduation she taught and completed her post-baccalaureate pre-medical program in California. She has been accepted at the joint University of California, Berkeley-University of California, San Francisco medical school which she will be attending after returning from Jamkhed in the fall of 2008.
ELIGIBILITY
Are you eligible to be the Mabelle Arole International Fellow?
To be eligible for the 2010-2011 fellowship year, you must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Have completed your undergraduate degree by June 2010.
- Have been accepted to a U.S. medical school by June 2010.
- Be willing to defer your acceptance to medical school for one year.
- Complete the application and other paperwork below.
- Provide a medical certificate of health (if and when selected as fellow).
- Be available for and have the resources to travel to the annual AMSA convention in Anaheim, CA, March 14, 2010 for an interview.
Note: Current medical students are not eligible for this fellowship.
SELECTION CRITERIA
A committee will select finalists who will be notified by mid-February. Applicants must be available to attend an interview on March 14, 2010. The fellow will be selected and notified by late March 2010.
The committee will choose a fellow based on the following:
- Fulfillment of the above eligibility requirements
- Completion of the Application Form
- Essays
- Interview(s)
- References
APPLICATION PROCESS
All applications and accompanying materials must be emailed to David Pyle (david_pyle@jsi.com) at JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc and received no later than close of business January 19, 2010 (proof of medical school acceptance will be accepted at a later date). There will be no exceptions.
Application or procedural questions should be directed to David Pyle at david_pyle@jsi.com or 202-258-4474. For in-depth questions concerning Jamkhed and the fellow's activities, refer to the Jamkhed website or email the Jamkhed International Foundation at jif@jamkhed.org.
Application Checklist:
- Application Form with Essays
- Two Letters of Reference
- Please ask one person (preferably your pre-med advisor or someone else who can respond to the question) to answer the following question in one page or less: Given the nature of the fellowship and what is entailed, do you think the candidate would make a good fellow based on his/her dedication, interest in health, cultural sensitivity, and ability to adapt to new and different situations. Why or why not? Does the candidate take the initiative and work independently? Please explain.
- Personal reference (e.g. adaptability to 'foreign' situations; ability to get along with others, as peers and with poor; personality suitable for this experience; willingness to help others; motivation for wanting to be a doctor)
Both letters should be emailed directly by the references to David Pyle at david_pyle@jsi.com.
- Resume - updated copy (including extracurricular activities, hobbies and interests) should accompany the completed application form.
- Essay topics related to community-based primary health care to which one of the three essay questions relates: What topic are you particularly interested in and why, and why do you think this topic is important for community health.
- Health behavior change in a traditional rural community
- Training of community health workers
- Community organization & participation
- Multi-sectoral approach to health problems
- Appropriate role of the health center (project) and the doctor
- Health as an issue of justice at the community level
- Root causes of health problems in a community
- Women's health and development
- Choose a particular target group or health problem, and explain why you are interested in it and how the community can address those issues
- Research, Data collection and analysis, Information systems