Students

This summer, two recent graduates and three current Mailman School students will have the unique opportunity to learn about leadership by working closely with leaders in the public health arena. From Finland to Nepal, the fellows have been placed in internships around the globe as part of the Council of Women World Leaders Fellows Program.

The Council of Women World Leaders, a network of 38 current and former women presidents and prime ministers, works to promote good governance and gender equality while also fostering a leadership pipeline. The Fellowship Program reflects this mission by placing promising graduate students in the offices of Council members and women leaders for summer fellowships.

Public Health Graduate Fellowship Program

In 2009, the Council of Women World Leaders developed a more targeted fellowship program aimed at graduate students interested in the public health sector. The Public Health Graduate Fellowship Program places students from top-tier public health graduate programs with ministries of health and international health organizations.

This year, the Mailman School is represented in both the Public Health Graduate Fellowship Program and the Graduate Fellowship Program by the following graduates and students:

• Lauren Anderson, Health Policy and Management: Ministry of Health, Finland
• Charmaine Crabaugh, Health Policy and Management: Department of Gender, Woman and Health, World Health Organization
• Maggie Moffatt, Sociomedical Sciences: Ministry of Health, Nepal
• Vanessa Rubano ‘10, Health Policy and Management: World Economic Forum
• Erica Simons ´10, Epidemiology: TBD – either Ministry of Health, Mongolia or Ministry of Health, Liberia

Second year student Charmaine Crabaugh will work with the Department of Gender, Woman and Health with the World Health Organization supporting the integration of gender analysis into health research, health policies, and health programs.

Explaining her interest in the opportunity, Ms. Crabaugh said, “Women, most especially in low-income countries, face inequalities accessing health and bear a disproportionate burden of disease and disability. But the processes and mechanisms underlying this are often not well understood by policy-makers or prioritized. To me, one of the main tasks for public health is to facilitate policy-makers' understanding of these issues and to place well-planned evidence-based health policies at the top of their agendas.”

Maggie Moffatt is tasked with just that goal as she works on maternal health interventions in Nepal, analyzing the effects of non-health strucutural interventions such as infrastructure, roads, education, and media. While her reports will take a broad view of maternal health interventions, it will also demonstrate the need and opportunities for increased cooperation amongst ministries.

Partnering with Columbia University and the Mailman School

The Fellows Program has worked closely with Columbia University for a number of years placing graduate students from across the University and is funded by the Office of the President of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger and the Mailman School of Public Health.

The Fellowship Program is open to both first and second year graduate students. Given the tremendous exposure that the fellowships afford, some opt to do the internship post-graduation to better position themselves before seeking full-time employment.

“I hope this fellowship will further develop my long-term career goals and give me more international experience,” remarked Erica Simons, a May graduate who is interested in communicable diseases and international public health.

Students interested in learning more about the program should talk with the Office of Career Services next year about the 2011 applications. In the meantime, visit the Council of Women World Leaders website to learn more about the program and previous fellows’ experiences.