Help me plan a sabbatical
July 5, 2008 6:11 PM Subscribe
I think after 20 years in my post it is almost time for a sabbatical leave. Should my board approve this idea, please help me to think about some fun and educational plans for a year-long sabbatical adventure. I am in the non-profit health sector, an MD executive with a primary focus in community health. I am especially interested in developing my insights and leadership towards the broad determinants of health from practical community based approachs. I think travel out of the US would be of interest to both my family and me.
I was going to say Doctors Without Borders as well, but it looks like family isn't allowed along.
posted by Stewriffic at 6:37 PM on July 5, 2008
posted by Stewriffic at 6:37 PM on July 5, 2008
Why not just spend the year visiting (and in some cases working at for a time) community health organizations in other countries?
You could focus this by geography (say, West Africa, or highlands in South America, or small island nations, or whatever), or by type of clinic or community served, or by something else that makes sense to you. My experience has been that as long as you are not a total jerk, people are very welcoming, and even more so if there is a clear way in which you have both something to offer (eg your skills from the last 20 years in the field) and something you are looking to learn from them.
As long as you avoid countries that have active wars, this is a very family-friendly sort of trip -- children tend to do really well and are often your best entry to a community anyway.
The fly in the ointment of this plan is if you needed someone else to fund your sabbatical trip, in which case you need to be putting together a very different sort of proposal.
posted by Forktine at 7:36 PM on July 5, 2008
You could focus this by geography (say, West Africa, or highlands in South America, or small island nations, or whatever), or by type of clinic or community served, or by something else that makes sense to you. My experience has been that as long as you are not a total jerk, people are very welcoming, and even more so if there is a clear way in which you have both something to offer (eg your skills from the last 20 years in the field) and something you are looking to learn from them.
As long as you avoid countries that have active wars, this is a very family-friendly sort of trip -- children tend to do really well and are often your best entry to a community anyway.
The fly in the ointment of this plan is if you needed someone else to fund your sabbatical trip, in which case you need to be putting together a very different sort of proposal.
posted by Forktine at 7:36 PM on July 5, 2008
If you have even the loosest affiliation with a religious denomination (Jewish, Methodist, Catholic, UCC, whatever) they may be delighted to offer you (and your family) room and board at projects around the world for a few months at a time in return for volunteer medical services . Missionary work has moved far beyond "saving souls" and more towards traditional NGO work, at least in the more liberal protestant denominations. Missions are usually family friendly as well.
posted by availablelight at 8:04 PM on July 5, 2008
posted by availablelight at 8:04 PM on July 5, 2008
Two years -- Peace Corps? Not sure they allow kids, however.
posted by salvia at 8:17 PM on July 5, 2008
posted by salvia at 8:17 PM on July 5, 2008
Come to Australia and work in Aboriginal communities with Indigenous Community Volunteers. Help Indigenous medical services and other community organisations to develop practical community-based approaches to every facet of primary and environmental health.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 3:50 AM on July 6, 2008
posted by obiwanwasabi at 3:50 AM on July 6, 2008
Consider this program: Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars.
Pros: its mission is to train people in the determinants of health and health inequalities; it gives you tons of free time; they would love to have someone with your background in the program; RWJ is fairly prestigious, so it may enhance your case for a sabbatical; it pays.
Cons: it runs two years; the sites are all in the US.
I did the program a few years ago and had a good experience. Feel free to MefiMail me for more information.
posted by googly at 9:33 AM on July 6, 2008
Pros: its mission is to train people in the determinants of health and health inequalities; it gives you tons of free time; they would love to have someone with your background in the program; RWJ is fairly prestigious, so it may enhance your case for a sabbatical; it pays.
Cons: it runs two years; the sites are all in the US.
I did the program a few years ago and had a good experience. Feel free to MefiMail me for more information.
posted by googly at 9:33 AM on July 6, 2008
Response by poster: Thanks for Several good suggestions. Yes MSF is out as i have family.
If anyone knows of really model community health organizations in the international setting, send me a memail
posted by dougiedd at 6:20 PM on July 6, 2008
If anyone knows of really model community health organizations in the international setting, send me a memail
posted by dougiedd at 6:20 PM on July 6, 2008
I'm not necessarily suggesting that you try to work with them (there are many other good organizations out there, and others are in a better position than I to make suggestions), but there are two really good books on (one about, one by) one of the founders of Partners in Health. Paul Farmer (Wikipedia) wrote Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor which contextualizes community health work within larger issues of poverty, violence, and inequality; Tracy Kidder (Wikipedia) wrote Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure The World , which, as the title suggests, is a biography of Farmer, and very much worth your time.
Touched By Fire: Doctors Without Borders in a Third World Crisis by Elliot Leyton and Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors Without Borders by Dan Bortolotti are quite readable accounts of some of MSF's work. It is worth reading about, even if you are not in a position to work directly with them, because they are one of the really influential organizations that have a lot of influence on how certain kinds of health interventions are now done.
posted by Forktine at 7:32 PM on July 6, 2008
Touched By Fire: Doctors Without Borders in a Third World Crisis by Elliot Leyton and Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors Without Borders by Dan Bortolotti are quite readable accounts of some of MSF's work. It is worth reading about, even if you are not in a position to work directly with them, because they are one of the really influential organizations that have a lot of influence on how certain kinds of health interventions are now done.
posted by Forktine at 7:32 PM on July 6, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Sublimity at 6:34 PM on July 5, 2008