Putting the pieces together: creating and implementing an Interprofessional Global Health Grant Program

Area of Science:

• Global Health Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Higher Education Initiatives

Background:

• The Center for Global Education Initiatives (CGEI) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) identified a need for enhanced global health experiential learning.
• Existing graduate programming involved six schools: dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work.
• A gap existed in university-sponsored grants specifically requiring interprofessional student involvement in global health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the creation and implementation of an innovative Faculty and Student Interprofessional Global Health Grant Program.
• To provide a case study guiding other universities in fostering interprofessional global health programs.
• To detail the program's parameters, history, and challenges.

Main Methods:

• The case study details the history leading to the grant program's inception.
• It outlines the development and implementation process of the grant.
• Parameters of the grant program and challenges encountered are discussed.

Main Results:

• The grant program was established in 2014, offering up to $10,000 for faculty-led projects involving at least two students from different UMB schools.
• It is the first North American university grant program conditioning funding on interprofessional student participation.
• The program supports increased global health experiential learning and interprofessional education.

Conclusions:

• The Faculty and Student Interprofessional Global Health Grant Program successfully addresses key CGEI goals.
• The program provides a model for other institutions seeking to promote interprofessional global health initiatives.
• Lessons learned and challenges offer valuable insights for program replication.