IDEAS - How to narrow it down.

1. How much TIME do you have available?

2. WHAT do you want to be doing?

3. WHERE do you want to be?

4. What kind of FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE will you need?

*** DISCLAIMER - the deadlines on some of these opportunities may have passed, so please look carefully at the applications before filling them out. Also, if you know of any opportunities that should be listed on this page, please email us at cmig@tulane.edu. And don't forget to check the board outside Student Affairs for the latest info.

TIME

If you have limited time available, you may want to check out the following:

- Domestic trips, or local projects

- 1 or 2 week-long international trips with organizations, particularly to Central American and the Carribean

- MPH courses offered in Tropical health or International Health

Some good short term links:

• AMSA Health Policy Summer Internships and electives - from 1 week to 2 months
• Tulane SPHTM International Health Courses - Courses are 1 week - 1 month long and are taught in Thailand, Guatemala, Cuba, Sri Lanka, and Costa Rica
• Operation Smile - contact the Op Smile student group here at Tulane to find out more about opportunities
• Global Volunteers - 1-3 week projects in many different countries around the world

If you have longer, you may want to consider:

- Research projects - Check out departments' faculty information pages - these general include info on what research they are currently conducting with which you might be able to help. Can't hurt to ask - they may know someone else who could use your help. The SPHTM Department of International Health is a good place to start, if you'd like to do research with an international flavor. If you're interested in getting out of New Orleans, check out UVA's list of national programs

- Longer local projects - New Orleans Office of Public Health often employs students, as will local clinics. Your best bet is to talk to the people at OPH or ask one of the doctors or staff in Tulane's Department of Family and Community Medicine where they might recommend working. You may even be able to work with a Tulane doctor in a local clinic.

Another idea is to think of your own health project and write a grant proposal. Check out the Funds page and research funding pages (UVA and Duke) for ideas.

- 1-3 month long international projects (although these may be expensive)

• AMSA's International Health site - first year stuff is mixed in with 4th year rotations, but the programs at the top and the Volunteer/Miscellaneous Opportunities at the bottom are especially suitable for rising T2s
• LSU Parasitology Course in Costa Rica - 1 month elective run by our neighbors across S. Claiborne
• South Texas Border Health Course - 4 weeks in Laredo, Texas working with people living in camps/towns on both sides of the US/Mexico border - most of their projects involve hands-on clinical research.
• Four Week Spanish Emersion in Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Spain http://www.amerispan.com/salud/
• Reproductive Health Internships - Argentina and Belgium will accept rising T2s for 1-2 months
• Himilayan Health Care - from 2-5 weeks
• IFMSA's Ghana Village Project - 1 month to 1 year in a rural village in Uganda - organized and run by medical students.

ACTIVITIES

If you are more epidemiologically or research oriented, you may want to find out if anyone at Tulane or a neighboring institution (or a foreign institution) is working on any projects that interest you with which you might be able to help. Ask Dr. Rodenhauser or Dr. Kahn if they can recommend anyone. You can also check out the UVA list of national programs or the Duke list (organized by application due date).

If you are more community service/hands-on public health oriented, you may want to find out if any local clinics are hiring summer interns. Check out the list of clinics at the bottom of the City of New Orleans Health Department page.

If you're interested in health issues in rural Louisiana, the Area Health Education Centers always sponsor students to come and work with them during the summer. However, you are limited to Louisian as they are located all over the country. The applications are usually due fairly early in the spring, so look out for information starting after winter break.

** Don't forget - many of the student run service programs (Bridge House, Brantley, Ozanam, etc.) need volunteers to cover shifts during the summer. Consider staying involved with them year round if you will be in town for all or part of the summer.

LOCATION

New Orleans is home to many, many people in need of decent healthcare that you might be able to help and for whom you can definitely advocate. However, you may be interested in going home for the summer, or even trying somewhere completely different. Check out options in the place(s) you'd like to be, find out what's available and then put together a schedule of where you 'd like to be and when. You may want to consider contacting medical students at other schools to find out what is available in their area. AMSA is generally is good resource for this - you can email the Regional Trustee (there's a map of the regions on the site) and ask for the contact info for the AMSA chapter president at a school in an city/town that interests you.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Many summer programs offer financial assistance as part of their package. However, many more require you to pay for the priviledge of participating and benefitting from the hard work that has gone into organizing the program. Don't be too lazy to explore creative funding options - you may hit the jackpot!! Check out the links on our funds page for ideas, including info on how to write a grant proposal.

Programs that definitely include funding:

• Benjamin Kean Tropical Med Scholarship - applications due May 1, 2003.
• Child Family Health International - (deadline has passed for 2003)