Virtual Global & Public Health Internship - Ecuador (Quito)
The Virtual Global & Public Health Internship offers undergraduate, pre-health, and graduate-level participants the unique opportunity to learn foundational, industry-specific skills for careers in Global Health, Public Health, and related fields. Through virtual seminars and meetings, interns will explore how communities in Ecuador are addressing their most pressing health challenges.
Program components:
- Competency-informed readings and content
- Intercultural training through CFHI partner Aperian Global
- 30 hours of Spanish instruction
- Virtual sessions led by CFHI Global Partners, who are experts in local health systems and culture. *Most leectures will be given in English. Lectures in Spanish will be given with English translation.
- Facilitated group reflection sessions
- Cultural learning/virtual immersion
- Seminars on health topics
- Depending on the location, this may include project-based work to deepen understanding of local health realities and support operations and objectives of the host organization/partners
The Virtual Global & Public Health Internship is an unpaid experience. Student fees will be used to compensate CFHI's Global Partners-- in line with our Fair Trade commitment.
Duration
Dr. Susana Alvear - CFHI Medical Director in Quito. Dr. Alvear is an expert on socioeconomic determinants of health in Ecuador and on healthcare delivery strategies in low-resource settings.
She has served CFHI since 1996 and is an accomplished family physician who obtained her MD and specialty certificates in Ecuador. She then completed clinical education courses at the University of New Mexico and workshops at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Alvear teaches at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, where she manages their residency program. Dr. Alvear has participated in several international trips providing healthcare services to countries after natural disasters stricken areas such as Pakistan and Ghana.
Patty Ribadaneira & Sandra de Maldonado - CFHI Local Coordinators in Quito. The Local Coordinators in Quito are members of the Academia Latinoamericana de Español, Quito. Their names are Patty Ribadaneira and Sandra de Maldonado. Patty and Sandra are sisters and have been servicing students since 1989. They both studied in the U.S. and are aware of the specific needs that students have. Patty is a collaborative, motivational and inspirational leader; she instills confidence in others. Sandra is a consensus builder, and acts with integrity and fairness when dealing with students.
Below is a one-week sample schdule. Partcipants should expect 20-25 hours of work/week. Please note that your virtual internship may not look excatly like the sample schedule. It is only meant to give you an idea of what to expect.
This CFHI program is ideal for students who have a foundation in Spanish and have an interest in health and medicine with a focus on women’s health. Non-students are also eligible. To confirm whether you're eligible to apply, please read CFHI's general eligibility requirements.
Minimum Language Required: Beginner 1 Spanish or Above
Beginner 1 Spanish: “I can speak a little and understand at times if people speak slowly and clearly.”
- I can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and simple phrases to get across basic needs.
- I can introduce others and myself. I can ask and answer questions for example where I live, people I know and things I have.
Leading this program on-site are our on-site partners (see Local Team tab), all of whom share Spanish as their native language, but may speak English as well. To provide authentic learning experiences translators are not provided. Daily interactions will be in Spanish, but CFHI’s local team is able to support and help you through your experience.
All CFHI participants applying to programs in Latin America will evaluate their Spanish language skills as part of their application. This information will then be shared with the on-site partners. Most important is your general ability to communicate verbally with those around you and to be proactive in speaking Spanish, versus accuracy with grammatical tenses. All CFHI Latin America programs include Spanish language instruction on-site.
Not sure about your Spanish level? View a full list of CFHI’s language levels for all Latin America programs on our Spanish Level Guidelines page.
CFHI partners with Canopy to offer high-quality online Medical Spanish courses. Apply using this link for a 20% discount and start improving your medical Spanish today!
- Robust, competency-informed readings and content
- Access to and training rooted in intercultural tools through CFHI partner Aperian Global
- 30 hours of facilitated Spanish language instruction
- Synchronous and asynchronous virtual sessions led by CFHI Global Partners, all experts in local health systems and culture
- Facilitated group reflection sessions
- Cultural learning/virtual immersion
- Virtual language classes (for Latin America-focused interns) or supplemental seminars on health topics (for Uganda-focused interns)
- Depending on the location, this may include project-based work to deepen understanding of local health realities and support operations and objectives of the host organization/partners
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global roadmap set forth by the United Nations General Assembly to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure the well-being of all individuals by the year 2030. This program highlights the following SDG's:
