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Global Women's Health Fellowship
The Global Women's Health Fellowship will help advanced trainees identify their paths as future leaders in global women’s health and provide them with the resources they need for research success.
Learn more by jumping to the sections below:
For More Information
Program Overview
The U-M Medical School Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Fellowship in Global Women's Health is a two-year program in which graduates of accredited OBGYN residency programs gain research skills vital to ongoing careers in Global Women’s Health, including:
- Clinical, health services, translational, and implementation science research
- Patient care in low-resource settings
- Capacity building
- Program development and evaluation
Core Program Components
Research may be conducted on a broad range of topics in global women’s health. The trainee could readily work with an interdisciplinary team tailored to the trainee’s experience and career goals. Research experience will culminate in three projects:
- A systematic or narrative literature review
- A secondary data analysis project
- A clinical, health services, translational, or implementation science research project involving original data collection
The department offers funding opportunities for which trainees may apply to support their research projects. Trainees are also encouraged to apply for an NIH Fogarty Fellowship during the second year of the fellowship.
Clinical work will take place primarily at U-M Medical School (12-15 months) and in Ghana or Rwanda (9-12 months). The posting will be arranged immediately after acceptance to provide a coordinated experience that melds the research and clinical career goals of the trainee.
Education in global health is a combination of regular mentorship meetings, on-the-ground experience in low-resource settings, participation in university-wide global health programs, seminars, workshops, and completion or auditing of master's-level courses (selected to complement the trainee's area of focus).
University-wide global health and women’s health programs:
- Global Reach GME Certificate
- Global REACH
- UM Center for Global Health Equity
- Institute for Research of Women and Gender
- International Institute
Opportunities for Master's-Level Coursework:
- Language courses
- Masters in Science
- Statistics (foundational workshops and advanced courses)
- Public Health Courses
- Public Policy Courses
A Mentorship Team, consisting of the Program Director, Associate Program Director, a methodological expert, and a content expert, will support the trainee during the program and throughout the trainee’s career trajectory.
International travel for training, service provision, and research will be an integral part of the trainee’s experience. Fellows will spend 8-12 months of their fellowship in Ghana and Rwanda. Program and University faculty members have carried out reproductive health research in more than 50 countries, with a focus on Ghana and Rwanda, and have significant ties to the World Health Organization and other international health and family planning organizations. In addition, there are a variety of institutional resources available for collaboration and support.
Fellowship Common Curriculum
The Department is home to 10+ Board-certified and non-Board-certified clinical and research fellowships in obstetrics and gynecology. To promote cross-specialty collaboration, all trainees take part in our didactic curriculum. These are ½ day educational seminars on numerous topics relevant to clinical research and academic leadership.
Topics include research design and implementation, identifying funding opportunities, manuscript timelines and preparation, how to be an effective teacher and employment opportunities. In addition, the department sponsors social events for fellows across all specialties to further encourage collaboration and to help fellows build both a professional and personal network.
Ongoing Educational Opportunities
The U-M Medical School Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is committed to the ongoing development and education of our faculty, staff, and learners. Each year, we provide over 100 CME activities for physicians and healthcare professionals to enhance learning and improve patient outcomes.
Application Information
Minimum Requirements
- Completion of a residency program accredited by ACGME
- USMLE/COMLEX scores
Due to Department of Labor prevailing wage regulations, we cannot consider applicants with any type of visa.
We do not review CREOG scores in our assessment of applicants. Score reports are not required.
Application Deadline
Applications for an August 2027 start are now open! Applications are due no later than October 16, 2026. Virtual interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Final selection will be made by November 2026.
Salary & Benefits
The University of Michigan offers highly competitive salaries and generous benefits to our fellows and residents. Trainee salary will be commensurate with that of a House Officer at an equivalent level of training based on the HOA contract.
Current Fellows
Current fellows are training to become future leaders in global women’s health. We emphasize teamwork, excellence, and leadership while preparing our fellows with resources to be successful in their careers.
Recent Graduates
- Dhanalakshmi Thiyagarajan
2023-2025 Global Women’s Health Advanced Trainee
NIH Northern Pacific Fogarty Global Health Fellow
First Position after Training: Women's Health Faculty, Michigan Medicine
Current Academic Focus: Research on urine-based HPV screening (Ghana); Device design to address women's health challenges in low-resource settings (Ghana); Simulation development and validation (Ghana, Rwanda)
- Emma Lawrence, MD
2019-2021 Global Women’s Health Advanced Trainee
NIH Northern Pacific Fogerty Global Health Fellow
First Position after Training: Faculty, Michigan Medicine
Current Academic Focus: Research on patient-performed home monitoring in high risk pregnancies (Ghana); Medical education and research capacity building (Rwanda)
Program Leadership
Dee E Fenner, MD
Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor of Urology
Medical School
Emma R Lawrence, MD, MSc
Medical School
Dhanalakshmi (Dhanu) Thiyagarajan (Thiyag), MD, MPH
Medical School
Maeve Sullivan
See Where Training Takes Place
Nationally-recognized physicians provide patients with a full spectrum of pregnancy and childbirth care, as well as gynecologic care before and after pregnancy. For high-risk pregnancies, U-M Medical School’s Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Center offers comprehensive fetal services, utilizing the latest technological advances in diagnostics, minimally invasive surgeries and open surgeries.
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