Rethinking Global Health

The Summer School will offer a unique environment of exchange between academics and students on a variety of topics reflecting the diversity of the challenges and opportunities of Global Health. Health inequalities from an individual to a global perspective, vulnerable populations, gender issues, NGO’s perspectives, transition from colonial medicine to planetary health are just a few examples of the topics that will be addressed. New this year, artificial intelligence and other novel technologies in Global Health will also be covered. The summer school will be organized around lectures given by academics and non-academics, short talks given by past summer schools’ attendees, active learning, group work and dilemma-based approaches, creating time and space for participants to reflect on Global Health challenges while developing a critical mind-set.

Target audience & eligibility

• PhD students including Postgraduate medical doctorate students (MD)
• Open to all disciplines
• Applicants must be registered as students at one of the Circle U. European Alliance universities

Programme

The programme is built as a blended experience centred on an in-person Summer school at UCLouvain during the first week of July 2024. The Summer school will last the whole week, from Monday morning to Saturday at noon (a detailed programme will be sent to successful applicants). It will feature an eclectic set of modules focusing on the different perspectives and topics of Global Health. The Summer school will mainly be taught by Professors and Lecturers from Circle U. member universities. It will also feature guest lecturers from around the world, either face-to-face or online. The students will be expected to actively engage in group discussions and share their approach to Global Health in the critical discussions planned over the week. New this year will be a half extra day, Saturday morning, exclusively dedicated to problem-based tasks and to debrief with the students on their Summer school experience.

The programme will also include some mandatory complementary online sessions, held mainly during the fall semester of the academic year 2024 – 2025. These sessions will help students to put in practice what they learned during the Summer school.

Why should I apply?

During the Summer School, you will have the opportunity to:

• Increase your understanding of how your research interacts with global health issues
• Develop critical thinking in global health
• Understand the critical importance of contextualizing global health
• Enhance team working and interpersonal skills
• Connect with leading professors, clinicians and build networks with European peers.
• Engage with a team of cross-disciplinary scholars from around the world

Participants are expected to actively contribute in the discussions, present their research work and lead, together with other participants some of the controversy sessions.

ECTS

The Summer school will issue 5 ECTS, delivered by UCLouvain. PhD students will have to ask their home institution to accept these ECTS points for their respective PhD programme.

Costs

The Summer school is free of tuition fees.

Universities can offer travel grants to students to help cover the expenses for the travel, accommodation and food during the Summer school, depending on local funding available. Please refer to your home institution in this matter.

Please note: UCLouvain provides accommodation in a youth hostel at an affordable rate (less than €30 per night for shared bedrooms of 2 people) that participants will have to confirm after selection. There are other accommodation options available that participants will have to book themselves. Successful applicants will be asked to book their train/flight and accommodation by themselves.

Application guidelines

• All documents must be uploaded in a single file in PDF format.
• Ensure the scanned documents are easy to read 
• Include all text on both front and back sides.
• Along with the application form, please submit your CV, a motivation letter, diplomas and a certificate of education as well as proof of registration in one of the Circle U. universities.

Note: Please have all the required documents available when you start the application process. Once you submit your application, it is not possible to go back and make changes.

Key information