Abstract
BackgroundGlobal Health is an inherently interdisciplinary field but overseas training in global health, particularly among health science institutions, has been an ‘individual’ or ‘individual discipline’ experience. Team-based training is an approach to global health education which is increasing in popularity; research on team-training demonstrates that teams are more productive than individuals. In 2015, the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health (CGH) developed the Global Established Multidisciplinary Sites (GEMS) program, an interdisciplinary training program which was designed to establish a new norm in global health training by bringing interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students together to identify and solve complex global health challenges. This research aims to evaluate the program’s first year and contribute to the literature on interdisciplinary team training. We conducted 22 in-depth interviews with students, faculty, and local collaborators from 3 GEMS project sites. Findings were analyzed for themes through a framework approach.ResultsThe program exposed students, faculty, and collaborators to a wide range of disciplines in global health. Students’ desire to learn how other disciplines contribute to global health solutions was an important motivator for joining GEMS; many participants including faculty and collaborators valued exposure to multiple disciplines. Mentorship and communication were a challenge across all teams in part due to members having distinct “disciplinary languages”. Balancing disciplinary representation on teams and establishing work plans were also key challenges.ConclusionsBased on the data the CGH provides four recommendations for institutions developing global health interdisciplinary teams to optimize team functioning and address challenges in mentorship, language, and roles: 1) address interdisciplinary communication early, 2) develop work plans during group formation, 3) meet as a team prior to travel, and 4) establish regular check ins. This article provides first-hand reflections on interdisciplinary team experiences in a global context and provides a pathway for the development of innovative strategies in global health training.
Highlights
Global Health is an inherently interdisciplinary field but overseas training in global health, among health science institutions, has been an ‘individual’ or ‘individual discipline’ experience
This research aims to evaluate the first year of this global health team-based training program and contribute to the literature on interdisciplinary team training
On average students spent between 4 and 12 + weeks at a site, depending on the site’s needs. When asked why they chose the Global Established Multidisciplinary Sites (GEMS) program, every student stated that s/he wanted to learn how other disciplines functioned and approached the global health challenge
Summary
Global Health is an inherently interdisciplinary field but overseas training in global health, among health science institutions, has been an ‘individual’ or ‘individual discipline’ experience. In a recent survey of 41 postgraduate global health programs, Withers et al found that many of the programs were housed overwhelmingly in schools of public health or medicine, and recommended that programs include disciplines such as the social sciences to make the global health education more comprehensive [1]. Duke, and the University of Toronto, among many schools, both have organizing offices which encourage and support multidisciplinary partnerships though the mechanisms for student engagement are unclear [3,4,5]. While this is not a comprehensive list, it serves to highlight the increased prevalence and recognized need for multiple discipline global health programs
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