Nükte Goc (SBS)

GHLI's Immunization Leadership and Management Program, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Germany

GHLI team selfie after EPI LAMP launch for Francophone countries in Cameroon w/ Erika Linnander (GHLI Director), Lynka Ineza (Program Administrator), Kali Bechtold (Program Manager) and our Cameroon team Leonard Numfor after EPI LAMP launch for Francophone countries in Cameroon.

Career goal:

My career goal is to develop project implementation strategies to help strengthen healthcare systems in low-middle income countries.

Internship outline:

Immunization Program Intern

Value of experience:

As an MPH student concentrating in Global Health, my career interest is project implementation in low-middle income country settings to strengthen healthcare systems with specific focus on immunization services. Interning with Global Health Leadership Initiative (GHLI) was an invaluable experience as I had a chance working with Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, local social networks in Cameroon and valuable mentors and coaches from Gates Foundation and United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) in Germany.

GHLI engages with partners all over the world to strengthen national immunization programs. For my first project I supported GHLI’S Expanded Program on Immunization Leadership and Management Program (EPI LAMP). Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health’s EPI team is a participant of this program and I supported them as they excel their leadership and management skills to achieve targeted immunization coverage in their country. My second project focused on leveraging local networks to increase demand for immunization services in Ethiopia and Cameroon. GHLI's ROSCA project received Gates Grand Challenge award and I had a chance to travel Germany to attend Innovation Accelerator Bootcamp for Vaccine Delivery organized by WFP and Gates Foundation.

Then I travelled back to Ethiopia to start implementing our project and continue working with FMOH. My goal upon graduation is to work in global health field, specifically in the area of project implementation and this internship played and extremely important to bring me closer to my career goals. I’ll also continue working with GHLI as a long-term intern super excited for this academic year!

Best moment/experience:

During my internship, there were times I was right in the field, interacting with local people and talking about healthcare related issues. It felt great to combine in class knowledge with real life experience and exchange ideas with people who will potentially benefit from our work. Also, I feel super lucky to be involved in the ROSCA project from the very beginning. During WFP Vaccine Delivery Bootcamp in Munich, I had a chance to deep-dive every single detail of our project and learned a lot from experienced coaches, mentors and facilitators. This was an invaluable experience as an MPH intern!

Funding source:

YSPH summer fellowship grant and GHLI stipend