Background
۲ݮƵ Global Health Programs (GHP) Travel Awards support ۲ݮƵ students and residents with travel funding for global health electives, fellowships, practicums, research projects, and other global health-related initiatives.
Travelling to international settings for a clinical or research placement requires careful thought and planning. Please consult our international electives and placements page for more information and resources.
Awards Currently Accepting Applications
The chart below details the awards currently available and their eligibility criteria. Click on the award name for more information about award criteria and eligibility. If an award description mentions a “developing country", or a "low or middle-income country", it refers to the (countries up to and including “upper-middle-income economies”). For awards mentioning "underserved" or "under-resourced" areas or populations, applicants must make the case in their application essay that their placement fills the requirement.
The value of each award varies depending on the availability of funds. Travel awards are typically within the range of $500-$3,000.
Note: links in the application details column open a new window.
Award Name | Open to | Application Details |
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۲ݮƵ MDCM students conducting an elective clinical clerkship in remote regions in Canada or in a developing country | ||
Bubbie and Nanny Global Health Travel Award | ѳҾ Medical Residents in pediatrics or pediatric neurology or Healthcare professionals involved in a ۲ݮƵ project | Bubbie and Nanny Application |
Dr. Alice M. Chan‐Yip Humanitarian Global Health Initiatives Award | ۲ݮƵ School of Population and Global Health students participating in health-focused emergency or humanitarian relief projects. | |
Dr. Kenneth Remsen Global Health Award | ۲ݮƵ students in health sciences undertaking a mentored global health project in an international setting, in Northern Canada. | |
Dr. Stephen Corber Global Health Travel Award | ۲ݮƵ students or trainees in good standing enrolled in a degree or residency training program doing a non-research placement of at least 12 weeks in a low-income or lower-middle-income country. |
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Global Health Travel Awards for Postgraduate Medical Residents | ۲ݮƵ medical residents(any year, any specialty) in good standing pursuing their global health interests through an elective or research project | PGME Application |
Joseph I. Wolfsdorf Fund for Global Child Health | ۲ݮƵ undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, and healthcare and allied professionals who are pursuing an elective or working on a global maternal & child health project | |
The Medicine Class of 1965 International Health Student Fund | ۲ݮƵ MDCM students pursuing research or clinical electives overseas | |
۲ݮƵ MDCM students conducting service-learning or clinical electives in underserved communities both in Canada and overseas for a minimum duration of 4 weeks |
Eligibility Criteria
- Only ۲ݮƵ students and residents in good standing are eligible to apply.
- Awardees must remain registered as full-time or part-time ۲ݮƵ students or residents for the entire trip funded via their travel award.
- Applications should be submitted at least 6 weeks before the start of travel.
- Travel completed before the application is submitted is not eligible.
- While the project does not need to be supervised by a ۲ݮƵ Professor, you do need to have the support of a ۲ݮƵ professor with experience in the research or field in question. We expect the ۲ݮƵ professor to look at the project and recognize it as relevant. You will need to provide the name and email address of that professor in your application.
- GHP only funds travel to countries and regions with a Government of Canada travel advisory risk level of Level-1 (“take normal security precautions”) or Level-2 (“exercise a high degree of caution”).
- Travel to countries or regions with a Government of Canada travel advisory risk level of Level-3 (“Avoid all non-essential travel”) is only possible with written approval from the Deputy Provost. Please see ۲ݮƵ Abroad's Travel Exemption Request page for further instructions.
- Travel to countries or regions with a Government of Canada travel advisory risk level Level-4 (“Avoid all travel”) is not eligible.
- Review the latest Government of Canada .
- The connection between the project and population health outcomes must be explicit.
- Students/residents are only eligible for one award from the GHP office per trip.
- Criteria for the Bubbie and Nanny Global Health Travel Award, Dr. Alice Benjamin Global Maternal and Child Health Fund, and theDr. Stephen Corber Global Health Travel Award may differ slightly and are explained in the award descriptions.
- GHP Travel Awards do not support:
- Travel for conferences
- Program costs or fees
Program Terms and Conditions
- GHP Travel Awards are non-transferable.
- Awardees must complete the mandatory Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) online Pre-Departure Training at least 4 weeks before travelling. The GHP office will contact awardees with instructions for enrollment.
- Awardees have 12 months to complete travel as described in your application from the day you receive your award letter.
- Any changes in travel plans (based on what was originally proposed) must be communicated to and approved by the GHP office ahead of time in order for the award to be honoured. Subject to GHP’s approval, awards may be deferred up to an additional six months, used for an elective or placement in another location, or declined.
- The applicant must provide a signed letter from their host organization or local supervisor (at your destination site) demonstrating the host's acceptance of your visit.
- For travel tied to a research project, the award winner must provide to GHP confirmation of IRB approval from both the host institution and ۲ݮƵ before departing.
- Awardees should review the ۲ݮƵ Guidelines for safe travel.
- Awardees must register their travel via the ۲ݮƵ Student Travel Registry (the official safety app for ۲ݮƵ students travelling outside of the Greater Montreal area on university-related travel activities) at least 4 weeks before travelling.
- Awardees must submit a post-travel report up to 6 weeks after their return.
- Awardees must present a poster on their research or project at GHP’s annual Global Health Night event, typically held in early November.
Application Instructions
Award-specific forms
The following awards have their specific application forms and requirements. Please visit each page for all details.
- Dr. Stephen Corber Global Health Travel Award
- Global Health Award for Postgraduate Medical Residents
- Bubbie and Nanny Global Health Travel Award
General Application Form
Most travel awards use the same . The GHP office will determine which awards you are eligible for.
The following instructions apply to the following awards (links open a new window):
Application components
Note: applications must be submitted as one PDF file, containing the following elements in the order presented below. Please title the PDF using your first name and last name e.g. “Jane Doe.pdf”)
- Essay (2-3 pages max)
- Briefly describe your placement/practicum/elective/research project (for instance, the site, timeframe, planned activities or clinical conditions you will encounter).
- If you are travelling with a volunteer placement organization – for example, the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) or Child Family Health International – please mention that.
- Why are you interested in this project? What do you hope to gain from the experience? How does this project link to your career path or ambitions?
- What is the connection between this project and population health outcomes?
- ۲ݮƵ Students returning from placements abroad often note that they wish they had taken more time before travelling to learn about the cultural, religious, political and/or ethical contexts of their destination, and how to better deal with differences in opinions and behaviours (e.g. around issues such as homophobia, racism, practices relating to death, etc). Give three examples of challenges you anticipate that you will face in your destination and how you are preparing for those challenges ahead of time.
- Discuss the potential impacts that your presence as a student studying in North America and completing a placement in a low-resource setting could have on the local community or site and the related ethical considerations.
- CV
- Signed letter from the host organization or local supervisor (at your destination site) demonstrating the host's acceptance of your visit.
- Budget
Please use the budget template below. If any line items do not apply to your situation, please write ”N/A”.
Line Item |
Anticipated Cost (CAD) |
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Visa |
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Vaccinations |
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Supplemental Insurance |
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Flight |
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Local Transportation |
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Lodging |
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Food |
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Fee charged by the host institution |
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Other: _________________ |
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Other: _________________ |
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TOTAL: |
Evaluation criteria and process
Applications are evaluated by the Global Health Programs office as they are received. Reviewers look at the educational merit of the project, the applicant’s consideration for ethics, degree of self-reflection, the applicant’s CV, and the cost and budget presentation.
Applicants will receive a response within 15 business days of the application submission during the fall and winter semesters, and within 20 business days during the summer semester. As a reminder, you must submit your application at least 6 weeks before your travel start date.