Award Description:
Established in 2018 in honour of Dr. Alice Benjamin by family, friends and patients whose lives she touched throughout her career.
To provide travel support and/or stipends for one or more outstanding students or trainees at McGill University who are pursuing an elective, research project or practicum focusing on reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health in a low- or middle-income country, in Northern Canada, or amongst underserved communities in Montreal.
This award is open to medical residents, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduate students enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The minimum duration of travel/on-site work is 2 weeks. Following completion of travel, in addition to presenting their experience at GHP’s Global Health Night event, the awardee is also required to present at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s Grand Rounds.
Awarded by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences upon recommendation of the Director of Global Health Programs. Applicants from residents will also be reviewed by the program director for their respective residency program. Award amount varies.
**Please note that the Global Health Travel Awards General Instructions and Eligibility Requirements apply to this award. Please review before applying.**
Apply for this award via the General Global Health Travel Awards application form. The GHP office will determine if you are eligible for this or other available awards.
Special Opportunity for McGill Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Residents only
Overview:
Through the Dr. Alice Benjamin Global Maternal and Child Health Award, McGill residents in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology have the opportunity to learn through a focused elective at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) in Rwanda. The award for this specific opportunity is worth $5,000 and can be used to cover travel and accommodation costs.
This elective is focused on clinical training (versus research) and is focused on learning, not on doing or teaching. Residents are expected to respect the expertise of their counterparts at CHUK and recognize that in the unfamiliar context of their assigned placement, ensuring patient safety stands as the utmost priority.
Timeline:
- Applications for this experience are accepted year-round on a rolling basis.
- Resident travel to Rwanda should take place between March and December (flexible).
Eligibility and Rules:
- Any registered McGill University Ob/Gyn R3-R5 resident in good standing is eligible to apply.
- Travel should take place between March and December. Travel weeks are to be approved by the Department of Ob/Gyn AND the host site and communicated with GHP.
- The minimum duration of the elective work at CHUK is 4 weeks on-site.
- Following the completion of their travel, the awardee will be required to present their experience at GHP’s Global Health Night event in Montreal (held every November), and at the Ob/Gyn Grand Rounds.
- The awardee is required to submit a brief report post-travel using a template provided by GHP.
How To Apply:
- Please ghp-progmanager.med [at] mgill.ca (subject: Dr.%20Alice%20Benjamin%20Global%20Maternal%20and%20Child%20Health%20Fund%20Award) (contact the GHP office) to indicate your interest. GHP will then connect you with CHUK to make initial arrangements.
- Then, please apply using the General Application Form for the Global Health Travel Awards.
About the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) in Rwanda:
Located in Kigali, Rwanda the CHUK (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali) is the university-affiliated referral centre in the country. It is also the biggest referral hospital in the country with a capacity of 519 beds. CHUK provides quality healthcare to the population, training, clinical research and technical support to district hospitals. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology includes labor and delivery, GYN clinic and OR, peritonitis treatment room, and wards. The awardee will work with the CHUK OBGYN team in various parts of the Department.
The awardee will book their own travel and accommodation, though suggestions and advice from past awardees and the GHP office will be provided.
Further Information
Further information can be found at the links below:
- University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) website
- Preventability of maternal near miss and mortality in Rwanda: A case series from the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (PLOS One)
- A resident in Rwanda: Observations from 1st Dr. Benjamin awardee (McGill Health e-News)
Please direct any questions to ghp-progmanager.med [at] mgill.ca.
