Global Health Consultant - Americas, Africa, Europe

What makes you an expert in your field?

I have worked in public health for nearly 15 years in all types of administration, coordination, programming, governance, and policy roles. Currently, I am sitting as a Member-at-Large on the CPHA Finance Committee and I am representing CPHA on the new regional Alliance of Public Health Associations of the Americas. I am also chairing the Health, Wellness, and Chronic Disease Prevention Work Group for the Ontario Public Health Association.

Throughout my career, I have led, recruited, coached, and supervised technical consultants, assistants, students, and interns. For example in 2010, I oversaw and realised the first paid internship in tobacco control with IDRC. At CPHA, I advised an intern to develop a brief literature review on smoke-free policies in health care settings to support partner public health associations in sub-Saharan Africa. I also guided interns working in tobacco control to write meeting summaries with the WFPHA in Geneva.

What do you do as a consultant?

The consulting services that I provide relate to project management, planning, policy, program evaluation, research, and writing, all of which are in the technical areas of public health and prevention. Some specific examples include: developing strategic plans and logic models, creating business plans, writing policy position papers including the impact of policy alternatives, completing comparative literature reviews, preparing conference reports, conducting interviews, monitoring and evaluating organizational activities and work plans, authoring abstracts and presentations, and developing social media and communication products for the web.

Day-to-day, this includes monitoring social media for the latest news and research developments, sending e-mails, organizing and facilitating the occasional meeting, and lots of reading and writing. I also spend time improving my brand presence on the web and looking for proposals and contracts that might fit my skills and interests and improve my credibility.

What educational or experiential backgrounds or skill sets are particularly advantageous in gaining work in this field?

Working and living overseas for a significant period of time is critical to kick-start a career working in global health and international development. The time spent working or volunteering abroad should be at a minimum between six and nine months, but the more time spent overseas will mean better awareness of health challenges facing many different peoples and greater legitimacy working in the field.

In Africa and the Americas, learning a couple of key languages such as French, Spanish, or Portuguese will go a long way and enhance not only your cultural experience but employability as well. Other key skills sets include solid writing, communication, and organizational skills.

What skills are in the highest demand? Are there any areas of specializations that are particularly needed at this moment?

In the area of global tobacco control, and most likely the global health area too, there is definitely a high need for understanding the policy development, implementation, and evaluation process along with international law and litigation. Specializing in economics is helpful to frame development and policy arguments.

I am also seeing that knowledge of GIS mapping for public health is becoming increasingly important to map and track the spread of diseases. The ability to communicate effectively and write concisely for social media and advocacy purposes is a definite plus.

In other words, epidemiology, economics, journalism, political science, public administration, and law are key areas. Having said that, it is important for these disciplines to be combined with some education or background of mental health (psychology), anthropology, public health, oncology, medicine or nursing to further your credibility working in the global health field and make it easier to move to different positions.

Is a background in international development necessary to work as a healthcare practitioner within a development context?

No, it is not necessary—but certainly helpful because it makes you understand better the hurdles facing many countries, which you might not see directly in your home country anymore.

A background in international development will help contextualize the global health challenges. At the very least, as a healthcare practitioner, you should be able to share your health knowledge and best practices with others in a non-patronizing way. This can be learned without an educational background in international development but with some cultural awareness or in-country field or living experience.

What, in your experience, are the most important skills and abilities necessary to succeed in this career?

For both international development and global health, being sensitive and aware of your surroundings and highly adaptable to changing circumstances are important abilities, along with strong writing and communication skills and knowledge of other languages.

To succeed in global health, taking courses such as evaluation, epidemiology, public health, or health policy will be beneficial. Certainly, if you are a trained or practicing clinician, counsellor, nurse, or lawyer specializing in health, it will make a career in global health much easier and greatly enhance your credibility in whatever area you want to work in at home or abroad.

From what I see, many young professionals who succeed quickly in global health have a master’s degree in public health, but many still end up having to learn skills on the job from other disciplines such as public administration, economics, and law to navigate the policy and governance processes that permeate global health. Strong organizational and project management skills along with sound financial and budgeting skills have also helped me in every project that I have managed for different organizations and donors.

To work in global tobacco control, there are a few things that will help including: gaining experience either with government or NGOs working on smoke-free policies or smoking cessation initiatives; writing and publishing research in tobacco control; and learning about other risk factors outside of tobacco such as alcohol that use similar prevention strategies. Working in tobacco control or international development is tough and my last piece of advice is to learn from each work opportunity no matter what it is and take some time to dissect what skills are transferable in other settings so when the right job comes up, you are ready.

Are there any health care practitioner positions that are popular in North America that may not translate overseas?

Certainly some health technology positions that are popular or in high demand in North America might not translate well if there is no similar equipment or resources available.

In the policy field, soft skills are easily transferable but then you need to have the ability to understand different legal and constitutional systems and governance frameworks in order to provide good and helpful advice.

In the area of mental health, I am seeing that counselling and psychology positions are popular in North America, but they may not be well-regarded in other countries given that the field of mental health is unknown, new or, sadly, frowned upon in some countries.

How do you determine whether a candidate has intercultural competencies and is capable of working abroad? What can health care practitioners do to improve their intercultural competencies before departing for an overseas placement?

A long time ago, I interviewed candidates to complete internships in Paraguay, a beautiful country with unfortunately some notable problems of corruption. What I looked for in candidates was their experience in dealing and coping with less than ideal situations or solutions. Other areas I looked for included how a candidate deals with high-levels of stress, their ability to develop rapport and trust with others quickly, and their persistence and patience in the face of adversity and hostility. And of course, lack of basic knowledge of the local language was sometimes a deal breaker. Most importantly, I think it is critical that candidates demonstrate experience negotiating and interacting with various cultural groups.

Some people come across as very confident and knowledgeable in interviews but when faced with real stressful situations with limited resources and funding, including political and social obstacles, they can feel overwhelmed, intimidated, and powerless especially if they do not speak the language or understand the culture. I think healthcare practitioners could do well to immerse themselves with other cultures locally for a few weeks before venturing on an overseas placement. This experience would help prepare them adequately for the inevitable culture shock that is to happen.

When international hires don’t work out, why do you think that is?

International hires sometimes do not work out because of miscommunication and frustration with their environment. I think that impatience or frustration builds up to the point (with both the employee and employer) that the working relationship breaks down and the project cannot move further. The hiring organization might not be prepared for change or the new hire has misread the employers’ intentions and provided the wrong approach.

What do you think most applicants should know when they are applying to a job abroad for the first time?

It is important to reach out to the hiring manager first prior to submitting an application to find out if you qualify in the first place. You should also find out whether or not the organization is a right fit given the time and effort it will take for you to move and work abroad. Do your homework and make sure it is what you want and what you want to get out of the experience.

For people who want to contact you looking for work, what would you suggest makes a positive impression and what should a prospective applicant avoid doing?

I think a positive impression is showing confidence and communicating in a few sentences what skills or experience you have to offer, what kind of positions you are looking for, and how you can be reached. I think prospective applicants should avoid asking for too much and discover what kind of work people do and how that fits in with your career path. And being honest and sincere about who you are and what you can and cannot do also makes a good impression with me.

Social media is also a great tool to link up with people who work in similar fields and also provides an opportunity to build an informal network, which can develop into a formal one with time and perseverance. Finding work is one task but you should also have an eye on how you want to build your career and how you want to be perceived.