Noor Qureshi has always had a passion for global health, but visiting Uganda for the first time this spring as part of the master of health sciences (MHSc) in global health systems program gave her a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by those in resource-limited communities.
It also helped her see the opportunities.
“Visiting communities where they don’t have many resources but are able to help so many people was surprising to me,” said Qureshi, BSc’23, who began the one-year master’s program last September. “I feel that we can learn a lot from their approach to health care.”
Offered through the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University, the global health systems one-year professional master’s degree program focuses on international health, primarily in marginalized populations.
A key component of the program is the field school. The three-week immersive experience in Uganda has students visiting a variety of different sites across the country to learn various aspects of the health-care system. This is followed by a two-month summer internship with a partnering organization in Uganda.
“The program starts by learning about global health theory and finishes with a firsthand look at health care in a low– to middle-income country,” said David Reid, co-director of the MHSc in global health systems program and professor in the School of Nursing. “This helps students learn about the people, the culture, the health-care system and what resources look like in these settings.”
‘Unique’ exposure to global health systems
Qureshi’s field school experience took place in May, when she and her cohort visited different health-care locations in Uganda including the Makerere University School of Dentistry, elder care facilities and a mental health hospital.
“The field school is so unique because we got to travel to such different places and visit such different communities all across Uganda, including in rural and remote areas,” said Qureshi.
“Working with and learning from the community members was a life-changing experience.” – Noor Qureshi, BSc’23, master of health sciences student in global health systems program
Her encounter with the Barbara Kemigisa Foundation – one of the partner organizations – had a profound impact.
“We visited a remote community and met a woman who runs an organization for children with HIV/AIDS,” said Qureshi. “She started this organization after experiencing homelessness and overcoming all types of adversities. Now, she’s doing so much for youth with HIV – it was so inspiring that I’ve continued to stay connected with her to see how I can help.”
These partner connections are essential to the program, giving students the opportunity to observe different health-care solutions. Western’s long-standing partnership with Makerere University and its recent memorandum of understanding further solidifies the collaboration between Makerere, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and the Faculty of Health Sciences for the global health systems program.
“The partnership with Makerere, along with the other program partners, is essential to offering a broad understanding of health in a global context,” said Jayne Garland, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences who attended a week of the field school.
“The collaboration between the Faculty of Health Sciences and Schulich Medicine & Dentistry offers a unique approach to the program. Schulich covers the basic science experienced throughout the field school, and the Faculty of Health Sciences brings expertise in the structural, economic and political determinants of health. The field school and internships mean that students are provided with not just the knowledge, but also the practical experience.”
Powerful experiential learning
After completing the three-week field school, students spend the next eight weeks taking part in an internship at one of the partnership organizations in Uganda. These internships provide an in-depth look at a specific aspect of health care and allow students to work on a health-related project.
Makerere University, along with the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), Infectious Disease Institute, Rakai Health Sciences Program and St. Jude’s Family Projects offered internships for the current cohort.
“The field school followed by the internship helps immerse students in the culture,” said Reid, who co-directs the program with Jessica Prodger, assistant professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. “There are some really powerful learning opportunities that happen with experiential learning.”
“Seeing everything in real-time and learning that health-care infrastructure is so nuanced and complex – that’s what really put it into perspective for me,” said Qureshi who is completing her internship with the JCRC. “It gave me a holistic view of Uganda, not just the health-care infrastructure but also the social determinants of health.”
Qureshi is taking her learnings from the global health systems program into medical school next year at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
“We can learn so much from the global health setting not just from Uganda, but from all health-care systems. Getting a master’s before I go to med school has given me that broader perspective.”
