"The era of single disease cowboys is out": evaluating the experiences of students, faculty, and collaborators in an interdisciplinary global health training program

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.

Bending the Arc towards Equitable Partnerships in Global Health and Applied Training

“…The resources to support quality electives should not be overlooked. CGH’s Global Established Multidisciplinary Sites (GEMS) program provides financial support for in-country partners to fund the facilitation, management, and administration of student experiences [19]. The AMPATH consortium is another model to address the underlying issues of time and funding [20].…”

Student’s Experiences on Learning Therapeutic Relationship: A Narrative Inquiry

“…Multidisciplinary team meetings have been found not only to promote interactions among different professionals but also to increase the quality of patient health outcomes and can be achieved through adequate representation of professionals from varying backgrounds (Hartgerink et al., 2014). Nursing school curricula should be updated in order to educate students on the importance of team-based care and raise respect for other health-care professionals (Kalbarczyk, Martin, Combs, Ward, & Winch, 2018). Another important way to ensure successful multidisciplinary working environments is the clear definition of roles and boundaries of the various specialities (Eddy, Jordan, & Stephenson, 2016).…”