Mission

The mission of the global women’s reproductive health 2-year fellowship is to provide high-quality patient care, high-impact research, and world-class educational opportunities for healthcare providers interested in women’s reproductive and children’s health in low-resource settings worldwide. Fellows will focus on one of two tracks: 1. Low and medium-income country (LMIC) track or 2. Rural US track. Fellows’ background training may be in OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Public Health, or other schools/departments with appropriate sponsorship from the corresponding UAB department/school. Fellows will spend at least 25-50 percent of their time over the 2-year period living and working at one or more of the university’s global health sites (LMIC track) or rural Alabama (rural track) with supervision by a multidisciplinary team of UAB faculty and other experts in global women’s reproductive health. Potential sites include but are not limited to Cameroon, Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia or selected rural Alabama locations. Focus areas include obstetrics, gynecology, contraception/family planning, infections, newborn/infant health, and reproductive cancers.

Tailored to the individual background, experience, and needs of the fellow, the first year of fellowship will include training in research design and statistical analysis (leading to an MSc or MSPH degree) while fulfilling the role of a junior faculty member within the sponsoring department, providing clinical care to patients while supervising medical students and residents. The second year will be accomplished primarily in an LMIC or rural Alabama setting, implementing a research project and providing clinical care to patients.

Description

The UAB global women’s reproductive health fellowship is a 2-year program designed to:

1. Develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to provide complex clinical care that addresses disparities in health care access and outcomes to women and infants living in low-resource or rural Alabama settings.
2. Develop experience in women’s reproductive health program design, implementation, and evaluation, as well as quality improvement and sustainability.
3. Build cultural and ethical competency in women’s reproductive health practice, education, and research.
4. Develop knowledge and experience in research design and methods applicable to low-income resource or rural Alabama settings.
5. Provide opportunities for networking, partnerships, and bidirectional collaborations in teaching, practice, and research with women’s reproductive health personnel in developing countries and/or rural Alabama.

The fellowship program will be housed within the UAB University-wide Center for Women’s Reproductive Health (CWRH), a university-wide interdisciplinary research center.

This year, we are seeking applicants with an OB/GYN background with co-sponsorship by the UAB OB/GYN department.

Application Process

Interested applicants are asked to submit the following:

• Current CV
• Three letters of recommendation (including one from your current program director or department chair)
• A one-page personal statement describing your research interests and how they relate to global women’s reproductive health including long term career goals

Application deadline: OPEN until filled

Eligibility criteria:

• Number of first-year positions: 1

• Priority will be given to applicants who plan a long-term academic commitment to global women’s health
• Eligible physician applicants will have completed an ACGME-accredited residency in obstetrics and gynecology (pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine, public health, or related women’s health field in subsequent rounds).

Although international experience is preferred, it is not a requirement.

Appointments will be made at the next PGY level (4 or 5) considering prior training.

Program Director:  Alan T. Tita, Professor and Director, CWRH.

Program Coordinator: Kathy Selman

Contact: kselman@uabmc.edu

List of UAB Global Health Hubs: Antigua, Egypt, India, Zambia, Cameroon, Jamaica, Kenya, Chile, Czech Republic, Nepal, India, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, Croatia, South Korea.