GFEFA Deadline March 1

The Global Field Experience Financial Award (GFEFA) 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 scholarship was started to encourage students interested in global health to participate in supervised field training which will facilitate the transfer of classroom knowledge into practical experiences.

> View slides from 2022 GFEFA Info Session
> View recording of GFEFA Info Session
> View examples of previously funded Global Field 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.

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 prior to their field experience to qualify for an award.

Students can apply to receive a GFE Financial Award after they have completed 9 hours at Rollins.
To apply, students must develop and submit an application describing 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

It is important to note that the GFE Financial Award on its own does not provide you with an Applied Practice Experience. Rollins School of Public Health has separate resources dedicated to Applied Practice Experience (APE).

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 10 ‐ 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 wellbeing 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 service 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 not consider 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) and Afghanistan require a specific endorsement by Emory’s international insurance carrier.

·         There will be modified site eligibility in summer 2022

Quantitative Bias Analysis: A Fireside Chat with Candice Johnson and Matthen Fox, February 22

We are excited to offer our members access to more live SPER events! Join us for our next webinar: “Quantitative Bias Analysis: A fireside chat with Candice Johnson and Matthew Fox”.

Settle down with a warm beverage and listen to our presenters discuss questions like: should quantitative bias analysis be required in (most?) epi studies? Should journals require it? Should peer reviewers ask for it? Should SPER emphasize it as a professional society? In what situations does it absolutely make a difference? This power point-free discussion will be open to questions from the audience, feel free to submit those in advance here: https://forms.gle/E74BNMijjt5EHbDs9.

You do not need to be an SPER member to attend these events, but registration is required to access the Zoom link. Registration is available here: https://sper.org/online-events/

A recording of the event will be available to SPER members.

If you have comments or suggestions – please join the digital engagement committee here.

Twin Memorials Project

Emory is committed to honoring and memorializing the untold experiences, stories, and contributions of enslaved individuals and their descendants who lived and worked on the university’s original campus in Oxford, Georgia. Emory’s Twin Memorials Working Group is creating a plan for twin memorials that articulates and interconnects the
shared histories of the Emory and Oxford campuses.

The first, and most important, step in this process is to hear from the community. In addition to Emory students, faculty, staff, and alumni, the university seeks input from descendants, neighbors, and local community members.

Emory has engaged the firm Baskervill to guide the community-engagement and design process. To learn more about the complex history of Emory’s founding and participate in conceptualizing a design for the memorials, please RSVP to the session below.

Through this work, and especially through your involvement, Emory begins the journey toward a more just and inclusive community.

Join us Friday, February 18, 2022
Emory Atlanta Campus Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional School Community
11:30am – 1:00pm
Candler School of Theology, Rita Anne Rollins Building,
Theology Room 360, 1531 Dickey Drive, Atlanta

visit www.twinmemorials.com to learn more and RSVP
or share your thoughts at www.twinmemorials.com/share

Reading Groups and Author Visit: Véronique Tadjo

The Writers of Today Team is very pleased to confirm that Véronique Tadjo will do a talk in English on March 3^rd at 4:15pm, followed by a Q&A in French on March 4^th at 1pm.

Ther are also two related upcoming events organized by Writers of Today: we are holding two reading groups on Thursday, February 17^th (in English) and Thursday, February 24^th (in French) at 4:15 in Callaway Center at Emory, room 202. To attend these groups on zoom email tmessen [at] emory [dot] edu. Among other themes, we wish to delve into crucial questions of our contemporary world, such as epidemics and disease, post-genocidal memory, and human-nonhuman relationships. We have also asked members of the Emory community to provide 5-minute presentations on Véronique Tadjo’s works to introduce students and faculty to her wonderful multi-faceted work.

See the reading materials in English and French below.

Tadjo – Reine Pokou Laterite

Tadjo – En compagnie des hommes + L’ombre d’Imana

Tadjo – The Shadow of Imana + In the Company of Men

Writing Accountability Workshops

On behalf of the Delta Omega Phi Chapter, we are pleased to announce that we will now be hosting #TimeToWrite Writing Accountability Sessions starting Thursday, February 10^th. In collaboration with RSPH Student Engagement and RSPH Enrollment Services, Delta Omega will host a dedicated time to focus on capstone, thesis, and other writing assignments each week in CNR 1000 from 4:00 – 8:00PM EST.

For each session, Delta Omega will also build-in a writing break dedicated to academic and social support. Participation in the workshop is optional for students who choose to attend writing accountability sessions.

The Writing Accountability Schedule for this month is as follows. Additional Writing Accountability Sessions for March and April will be announced at a later date.  

Epi Interactions, Weeks of February 7 &14

Please join us for Epi Interactions, a follow up to the Fall Areas of Epi presentations.

Sessions will be held by Zoom during the weeks of February 7 & 14
Click HERE for details & to sign up!

HIV & Sexual Health Thesis Opportunities Meeting, February 22

This meeting is for first year EPI students interested in HIV and Sexual Health. Epi HIV faculty will discuss available thesis topics and the process to match with one of these topics/faculty.

The meeting will take place on 2/22/22 from 12-1 PM.

RSVP to Susan at sschlue [at] emory [dot] edu by Feb. 20th to get the Zoom link

Webinar: Innovation Approaches to Tackle Public Health and Community Challenges

Join us for part 3 of this free webinar series on 2/23/22 from 12-1:30 PM

Now that we have a clear picture of what the problem is and who the problem affects, we are going to explore the weeds of it through journey mapping. This is done by walking through each step of the experience that accompanies your problem as it currently exists, paying particular attention to the pain points which can become opportunities. For example, you might consider the current experiences that community members have when trying to access fresh and healthy food in their neighborhood. The first step may be online research to find local, and affordable food sources. A pain point that could be identified is that people don’t know what to search or where to look. Using this same process, we will comparatively make an ideal experience, then contrast the two to identify possible solutions.

Click here to sign up!

Sky Happiness Retreat, Feb 18-20

We invite you to participate in the SKY Retreat, hosted by SKY at Emory! Upcoming SKY retreats will take place on January 28-30 and February 18 – 20. Please see attached for additional information about how to register!

The SKY Retreat has been offered to thousands of students at more than 40 universities across the country. Students gain foundational stress-management and leadership skills, develop a personal daily breathing practice, develop strategies for social connection, and engage in peer-driven service initiatives. Taught over three consecutive sessions, the retreat introduces the SKY meditation, a scientifically validated breathing practice that significantly increases one’s well-being and calmness and reduces anxiety and stress markers.

Some of the benefits you’ll gain:

• Understanding of the sources of stress and the role of breathing techniques
• Meditative practices in managing stress and negative emotions
• Ability to better increase personal happiness
• Develop greater equanimity
• Learning to deal with criticism and mistakes
• Taking personal and community responsibility
• Increasing social connection, enthusiasm, and inspiration
• Build mental resilience and become a student leader

Apply for Scholarship

Yale Press Release

Yale Tweet

Psychology Today Article

RSPH Dean’s Lunches

Dean’s Lunches are back! Meet and chat with the RSPH Deans over lunch this semester.

The first date is around the corner: Wednesday, 2/09 from 12pm-1pm, with sign-ups closing Friday, 2/04 at noon. Sign-up to be one of ten students selected at random to attend this lunch or one of the next two lunches in the series. Selected participants will receive an email the Friday before the lunch they signed up for. If you attended last year or know you won’t be able to attend any of the lunches this semester, we ask that you refrain from signing up. Also, if you are selected and cannot attend, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can invite someone else to join. 

Lunch will be provided to-go after the meeting, and all COVID-19 protocols will be strictly followed. We are also prepared to pivot to an online platform if necessary. 

In order to sign up, you can use the link here or scan the QR code on the attached flyer: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBDLfgTCRUPOTc2CqLngE21ZaWZ-rjze1j5p_I7tYnFA7xfw/viewform?usp=sf_link

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Ama Wilson (ama [dot] wilson [at] emory [dot] edu) or Sophia Lamb (sophia [dot] lamb [at] emory [dot] edu).