Each fellow conducts approximately six months of fieldwork over the two years, working 805-855 hours as an Instructor Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at the NewYork Presbyterian Hospital (NYP)/ Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) /Allen Hospital Emergency Department (ED).

The NYP/CUIMC ED serves the underserved population of Washington Heights NYC, a predominantly low income, Latin community in Northern Manhattan. In addition, it serves as the ED for CUMC, a major medical center providing healthcare tertiary care services to the Tri-State NY metropolitan region. It serves as one of two primary teaching sites for the NYP Emergency Medicine Residency Program. The Allen Hospital is NYP’s community hospital in the Inwood section of Manhattan. At this site, both adult and pediatric patients can receive care from the same faculty as is found at CUMC.

During the first year, in addition to conducting clinical work, the Global EMFs take the ICRC Health Emergencies in Large Populations (HELP) Course, matriculate in CU MSPH MPH Program. The Fellow’s enroll in the Public Health and Humanitarian Assistance Certificate, under the Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health (Pop Fam Department).

The second-year focuses more on fieldwork. Many fellows gain rich acute care health systems strengthening work with the Columbia University’s Pop Fam Departments; sidHARTe – Strengthening Emergency Systems Program. Here, the Fellows’ hone programmatic and technical public health research skills through collaborating with local and global institutions, at the government, university, and policy level.

Over the past 11 years, fellows have worked on various aspects of complex adaptive systems research and service through as well as cascading capacity building in Ghana, Rwanda, and India. In addition to understanding approaches to global public health systems, our fellows gain experience in humanitarian, disaster, conflict-affected settings and the response to epidemic outbreaks. Fellows have been placed in organizations including MSF, IRC, WHO, IMC, and UNICEF, working mainly in humanitarian crises. Recent fellows’ fieldwork includes: 

We have been fortunate to work in partnership with various organizations like IRC, WHO, and MSF. 

Columbia University provides a comprehensive package of benefits designed to allow eligible faculty and staff to create a program suited to your needs and those of your family. Depending on your eligibility, the University offers healthcare coverage, dental coverage, flexible spending accounts, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), pre-tax transit and parking reimbursement, retirement benefits, tuition programs and more. In addition, there is up to $10,000 worth of CME/fieldwork money available to each fellow, with the approval of the fellowship director.