Job Searches in International Public Health
The purpose of this listing is to help job seekers in international health. For an electronic version, go to www.ccih.org and click on "job search."
Helpful Hints
Getting jobs in international health, even with good academic credentials but limited experience, requires a lot of work.
- It pays to research and contact a lot of potential employers.
- Spend a lot of time on the Internet.
- Networking is key. Use your personal contacts.
- Personal follow up and sending email messages, letters, and resumes, is important.
- With limited experience, NGOs are the easiest place to start.
- Overseas posts come easier than jobs in the US. Agencies that deal with refugees and disaster relief are often promising for newcomers.
Resources
Global Health Options and Specializations (PDF)
(Useful book: Finding Work in Global Health by Osborn and Ohmans.)
Global Health Organizations and Networks
1. A rich trove of information about 550 Private and Voluntary Organizations registered with USAID, many of which recruit professionals or provide internships in international health, can be found online at http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/private_voluntary_cooperation/pub.html. Check specifically the 152-page 2003 VolAg report listing agencies engaged in overseas relief and development.
2. CORE, a coalition of NGO recipients of USAID child survival grants, provides information for both consultant job seekers and recruiters at www.childsurvival.com/tools/consultants_db.cfm.
3. The Global Health Council Career Network at http://www.globalhealth.org/jobs/ describes scores of positions. GHC members can post their resumes online. Their Career Connection job fair at their annual May conference in the Washington, DC area brings over 50 employing organizations. Two good investments are buying their Global Health Directory and Global AIDS Directory. Each costs $25 for GHC members and $50 for non-members. Email awelch@globalhealth.org and ask for a weekly email of job offerings. Tel (202) 833-5900.
4. The Public Health Employment Connection of the American Schools of Public Health Employment Council, maintained by Emory SPH, is exceptionally rich, containing hundreds of current job openings in domestic and international health. Go to: http://cfusion.sph.emory.edu/PHEC/phec.cfm.
5. Two useful publications, Mission Handbook 2004-2006, a directory of 1000 mission agencies, and Essential Guide to Short Term Mission Trips can be obtained from World Vision Resources, 800 E. Chestnut Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016. Tel. 1-800-777-7752. Online purchase at www.worldvisionresources.com costs $49.95 and $14.95 respectively.
6. The Publications Department, InterAction, 1717 Massachusetts, NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036 has several valuable resources. E-mail: publications@interaction.org. Phone: (202) 667-8227. Or go to www.interaction.org/jobs/index.html to obtain a) InterAction Member Profiles 2002-2003 with information on 160 US-based non-profits working internationally, b) Monday Developments, lists jobs, c) Global Work, lists volunteer, internship or fellowship opportunities, and d) InterAction Weekly Email Job Announcements. www.interaction.org/volunteer.html has linkages listing int’l volunteer opportunities.
7. The American Public Health Association CareerMart lists scores of jobs, mostly domestic, at www.apha.org/career. Contact APHA, 800 I Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20005-3710. Phone CareerMart coordinator at (202) 777-2742. Their November annual meeting is great to seek jobs.
8. The International Career Employment Center, 1088 Middle River Road, Standardsville, VA 22973 provides free access to and email notification of critical jobs needing to be filled immediately, including some in international health. Website: http://internationaljobs.org, or www.jobspublichealth.com, click on “Hot jobs,” then on “International Health Care.” You can subscribe to International Career Employment Weekly listing 500 jobs every week, for individuals is $26 for 6 issues. Tel. 1-800-291-4618.
9. The American Medical Students Association, 1902 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091. Tel. (703) 620-6600 lists many opportunities at www.amsa.org (click on both “Global Health” and “Resource Center”).
10. International Opportunities: A Career Guide for Students lists internships and job opportunities with NGOs, the US Government, UN, private sector, and educational institutions. It costs $15.00. In the U.S. call 1-800-962-8061. You can order it online at: http://creativeworks.byu.edu/catalog/index.cgi?userid=184-1007055401-693&KC005=Book.
11. Opportunities for volunteer, short-term Christian medical assignments include the Medical Group Mission of The Christian Medical and Dental Society (www.cmds.org), International Aid (www.internationalaid.org), Mercy and Truth Medical Missions (www.mercyandtruth.com), AMG International (www.amginternational.org), Blessings International (www.blessing.org), International Messengers: (800)-243-6763, and the Prison Fellowship International Global Assistance Programme, at www.pfi.org under Programmes/GAP or call 703-481-0000.
12. USAID has a few career positions in the New Entry Professional program. Go to www.usaid.gov, click career, then on employment, or write Office of Human Resources, Recruitment Unit 2.08-140, USAID, Washington, DC 20523-2808.
13. Many jobs are available at scores of USAID-funded agencies. There is no central clearinghouse for such positions. Many non-profits are listed in Voluntary Foreign Aid Programs (See No. 1 above.)
14. The World Bank and the projects it finances employ many mid-level health specialists as consultants. There is no central point to get information. Networking with the relevant offices is required.
15. The Association of Schools of Public Health has launched a job information service designed for students in public health. Browse dozens of job listings. Subscribe to an email job notification service. Go to www.publichealthjobs.net.
16. For hundreds of current job openings in international relief and humanitarian assistance, including health, go to Relief Web, Humanitarian Vacancies, at http://www.reliefweb.int/vacancies. You can also subscribe to a weekly email giving new openings.
17. For openings listed by The Communication Initiative on The Drum Beat, go to http://www.comminit.com/vacancies.html and do a search on “health.”
18. Lutherans in Medical Missions lists 31 links to sending agencies for Christian medical mission opportunities worldwide at http://www.limm.org/opport.htm. For more details, you can call Carol Henning at 1-866-676-5466, or e-mail her at limmclh@centurytel.net.
19. Check www.idealist.org for a listing of thousands of jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities in health and other sectors in 153 countries.
20. Bruce Carr, hbrucecarr@aol.com, has compiled a directory of information resources about planning short-term medical and health missions, including an annotated listing of sponsoring organizations, sources of supplies, books, websites, and other information regarding overseas short-term mission trips. Go to: www.helpingoverseasdirectory.org.
21. http://mfinder.org is a rich website of hundreds of opportunities for short-term health and medical missions, mostly Christian, plus links with many other websites on short-term missions.
22. For names and websites of 88 organizations which employ international health professionals, go to www.ccih.org, click on “jobsearch” and then click on the last item on the list.
Compiled by Ray Martin, Exec. Director, Christian Connections for International Health, Nov. 2004
Please send corrections, additions, or suggestions to enhance this compilation for the benefit of future job seekers to MartinRS@aol.com.