ICAP Diversifies Public Health Through Early Engagement in Global Research

Underrepresented racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups diversify public health and participate in global health research projects through ICAP’s Next Generation Program. The program joins Mailman initiatives BEST, CSIBS, and PriMer to provide funded research opportunities for minority voices in public health.

“Diversity in the research workforce is an important priority,” says Miriam Rabkin, associate professor and director of the program, which is funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) through its Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training program (MHIRT). “This program is designed to open students’ eyes to the world of global public health research, and to the wide range of career options in this field.”

The fully funded, 11-week program attracts undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Columbia University schools. Past fellows have worked with ICAP researchers to study TB programs in Kazakhstan and HIV programs in Kenya, and with IFAP teams to study adolescent health programs in the Dominican Republic, to name three examples.

“Participation in this program offers a golden opportunity for students”, says Wafaa El-Sadr, ICAP director and professor of epidemiology and medicine. “The combination of didactic training, experiential training in-country and participation in distance learning while overseas uniquely positions the trainees to pursue a career in global health research”.

After two weeks of training with ICAP at the Mailman School, participants travel overseas for eight weeks to participate in mentored research projects. The program then ends with a week back in New York, for continued training, career counseling, and a capstone poster presentation open to the entire Columbia community.

By giving the students the opportunity to participate in global health research, the program expands the professional career horizons of the participants. While many of the trainees have considered careers in medicine, few had been exposed to health research or to global public health.  

“The program allowed me to see a different side to healthcare,” says 2015 fellow, Tiffany Porras, a biology major at Columbia College. “There are different ways to change how people live, the education they receive, what they need to do to better their life, rather than just having them visit the doctor every week.”

Trainees are exposed to research questions in global health and health disparities, as they gain skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods, research ethics, and research design. The program also provides career counseling and professional development opportunities.  

Applications for the summer 2016 Next Generation Program are due on November 2, 2015. Application forms, eligibility criteria, and answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the ICAP website.  

In the summer of 2014, Loxley Bennett worked in Swaziland on a research project to assess the safety of selected HIV medicines. For the first time, he saw clinical work applied at a population level. He now believes that through public health, he can have an impact by helping groups of people simultaneously, rather than solely by treating individuals.

“I realized that I definitely want to do medical work in the future that involves underserved populations, hopefully globally,” says Bennett, who is now looking to earn an MD and an MPH. “ICAP’s program was the only program that gave me that sort of experience.”