Kenya

Internship Practice – syllabus
(ITRN3024 / 4 credits)

This course consists of an internship at a health-related organization such as hospitals, a government department promoting public health, or with a non-government organization (NGO) in Kisumu, Western Kenya. The internship enables students to gain practical, hands-on experience in a professional setting, enhance their skills, and develop core competencies connected to health policy, planning and management, disease surveillance, prevention and control, and health promotion for key populations such as LGBTQI+ people, among others.   

SIT will use its extensive local network to facilitate internship placements for students. Students will be informed of the types of internships available and the placement process four weeks prior to the start of the program. The SIT academic director will review and approve internship placement requests that are not included in the SIT internship network.

Prior to the start of the internship all students must complete a list of internship activities in which they expect to be engaged at the internship organization, a statement of purpose, an internship learning agreement, a signed SIT ethics form, and an ethics statement. SIT will maintain oversight over internship placements in line with SIT academic policies and student health and security guidelines. Ultimately, each student will take responsibility for making optimal use of resources available at the organization and to be proactive in engaging with local experts to achieve internship objectives. 

Internship Seminar – syllabus
(ITRN3010 / 3 credits)

This seminar is designed to equip students with an understanding of the peculiar dynamics and nuances related to public health planning, management, and delivery in countries located in the tropics such as Kenya. The course also situates public health planning, management, and delivery within the context of Kenya’s recent social and political history and the broader tropical regions of the world today, paying keen attention to the influences of social class, gender and sexual identity, and place of residence on health outcomes. Carefully selected site visits and readings refocus keen attention to key critical global public health issues as students deepen their knowledge about health in tropical regions of the world. Class sessions, complemented by carefully selected readings and site visits, form the core elements of the course.