The Peace Corps Now Accepting Applications for Global Health Service Partnership Volunteers for 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 19, 2014

The Peace Corps Now Accepting Applications for Global Health Service Partnership Volunteers for 2015
Volunteers train a new generation of physicians and nurses in Africa

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 19, 2014 – Today the Global Health Service Partnership program begins accepting applications from physicians and nurses interested in serving as healthcare educators in Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda starting summer 2015. Volunteers serve one-year assignments at medical and nursing schools working alongside local faculty to strengthen the quality of their education and clinical practices.

The Global Health Service Partnership is a collaboration of the Peace Corps, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the non-profit Seed Global Health. The program presents an opportunity for American physicians and nurses to make a tangible difference in communities abroad by addressing the known shortage of skilled physicians, nurses and clinical faculty in resource-limited countries.

The first-ever group of Global Health Service Partnership volunteers left for Africa in 2013 and will complete their service this summer. These volunteers have worked to improve the quality of medical education for more than a thousand students across 11 different medical and nursing schools.

“The opportunity to build capacity rather than be a Band-Aid solution during short stints providing care to patients is what really intrigued me about joining the Global Health Service Partnership,” said Brittney Sullivan, a pediatric nurse practitioner currently volunteering in Malawi.

Applications must be submitted by Dec. 5, 2014 to be considered for departure in 2015. Benefits for volunteers include monthly living stipends, transportation to and from their country of service, comprehensive medical care, a readjustment allowance, and paid vacation days. Qualified volunteers are also eligible for debt repayment of up to $30,000 per year for each year of service through program partner Seed Global Health.

Physician applicants must be board-eligible or board-certified. Nurse applicants must have completed a Bachelor of Science in nursing as well as a post-graduate degree and have a minimum of three years of clinical experience. All applicants must have an active license in the United States.

First established in 2012, this innovative public-private partnership is a Peace Corps Response program, which offers high-impact, short-term assignments for qualified professionals.

Learn more about the Global Health Service Partnership and begin the application process here.

About PEPFAR:  The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the U.S. Government initiative to help save the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS around the world. PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease internationally and PEPFAR investments also provide a platform for efforts to address other public health needs. PEPFAR is driven by a shared responsibility among donor and partner nations and others to make smart investments to save lives. For more information, visitwww.pepfar.gov.

About Seed Global Health:  Seed Global Health is a non-profit whose mission is to strengthen health systems globally by partnering U.S. physicians and nurses with local educators. Seed Global Health believes educational partnerships can rapidly increase the pool of providers and educators in countries where they are most needed. Committed to recruiting the best-qualified candidates, including those who may have financial constraints to service, Seed Global Health raises and disburses loan repayment and other appropriate stipends of support to individuals chosen for assignments abroad. Visit www.seedglobalhealth.org for more information.