This is the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship based in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Harvard is rich with global experts and leaders in many areas relevant to the fellowship. Fellows have access to a wealth of resources including faculty at Harvard Medical School, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences.  A list of current global emergency medicine faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Health Care can be found at HERE.

In sum, our division has 16 faculty members, making it the largest Global Emergency Medicine Division in the United States. Two year fellows without a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree will complete one at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, which is fully funded by the fellowship. The Harvard Chan School of Public Health provides a world-class education for future leaders in global health. 

Fellows typically enroll in the Global Health concentration of the MPH program and complete their degree requirements as part-time students over the two-year fellowship period. One year fellows already possessing an MPH have the option to attend courses and short programs at the School of Public Health if desired. Fellows prepare grand round presentations and participate in lectures and teaching conferences at Harvard University, affiliated medical centers, and other institutions. Fellows attend several core courses during their fellowship, with full financial support from the fellowship. 

International Experience

The emergency medicine family of the Division of Global Emergency Care and Humanitarian Studies at Brigham and Women’s Hospital is actively involved in emergency care systems strengthening, global heath research, and humanitarian response. 

The Division coordinates a hospital-wide disaster response roster and sends faculty and fellows into disaster areas as the need arises. Through collaborations with a number of international aid organizations—including the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Save the Children, CARE, Red Cross/Red Crescent, Médecins Sans Frontières, Samaritan’s Purse, Emergency, International Medical Corps, Team Rubicon, NYC Medics, and Catholic Relief Services—the fellowship provides substantive field experiences and excellent learning opportunities for fellows. Strong support from the emergency medicine faculty provides ED schedule flexibility that allows last minute fellow deployment to disaster areas.

Throughout the fellowship, fellows are generally expected to be prepared to travel for up to two months with as little as 48 hours’ notice. Overall, about three to four months per year are spent working abroad. Overseas projects typically last from two weeks to two months depending on the nature of the project and the fellow’s MPH class schedule. Fieldwork is arranged and coordinated by the fellows under the supervision of the Fellowship Director. Fieldwork encompasses the following core areas:

-International emergency systems evaluation, research, and development
-Humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and refugee health
-Health and human rights policy development
-International public health
-Emergency medicine education and residency program development
-International medical provider training

Field experiences are designed to increase the fellow’s knowledge base and provide an opportunity to practice acquired skills. Fellows are expected to take an active leadership role during field placements. Our program prides itself on a wide range of placements; please see the below list of previous placements and projects. Travel medicine experience is also available through the Department of Emergency Medicine for interested fellows who elect to serve for one month as expedition physicians.

Clinical Experience

Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is a leader in tertiary care and is a Level I Trauma and Burn Center. As attending physicians, fellows supervise residents in the BWH emergency department. The 54 bed ED serves 60,000 patients per year. The Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency is a PGY 1-4 program with 60 residents, many of whom have a strong interest in international health. The Brigham houses a large Physician Assistant (PA) program in the ED and fellows will supervise them during some ED shifts. Fellows will also supervise and teach Harvard Medical Students in the ED. Finally, fellows are given the option to work a portion of their shifts at the Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain which provides the opportunity to work in a sole provider community setting.

Fellows receive clinical and academic appointments at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Fellows are expected to participate in academic activities and are encouraged to attend Emergency Department faculty meetings as their schedules allow. There are numerous opportunities for teaching residents, PAs, medical students, and paramedic students that the fellow can pursue. Fellows provide clinical coverage equal to 0.6 FTE each year and typically work eight or nine nine-hour shifts per month when they are not traveling overseas. Fellows receive a competitive salary, currently at $87,300 for first year and $89,046 for second year. A generous package of faculty benefits, CME funds ($3,000), and hospital parking is provided. Access to the Harvard library system is provided as part of the fellows’ academic appointment.

Full tuition and fees related to the Harvard School of Public Health MPH degree program, including the cost of required textbooks (up to $1,000), are covered by the fellowship. Costs of attending the ICRC’s H.E.L.P. course, the Humanitarian Response Intensive Course, and the International Emergency Department Leadership Institute’s Essentials Course are also fully paid. Fellowship-related travel costs are paid, including airfare, room and board, global malpractice insurance coverage, and international medical and evacuation insurance. Two weeks of vacation and two weeks for educational pursuits are allowed per year.