Article Category:
Research Article

Barriers and Facilitators for Participation in Global Health Research Training Programs Among Underrepresented Minority Groups

Usha Ramakrishnan Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia;

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Monique Hennink Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia;

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Kofi A. Kondwani Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia;

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Radhika L. Sundararajan Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York;

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Riley Hunt Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia;

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Donna J. Ingles Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee;

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Dionne Williams Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia;

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Champagnae Smith Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia;

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Lan Tran Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia;

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Teris Taylor Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

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Douglas C. Heimburger Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

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Linnie M. Golightly Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York;

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.24-0847
Volume/Issue:
Ahead of Print
Open access
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The optimal global health (GH) workforce should be racially and ethnically diverse, yet few persons from historically underrepresented minority (URM) groups in the United States participate in GH training programs. We conducted a study to explore barriers and facilitators for URM individuals to participate in the NIH Fogarty International Center’s GH Program for Fellows and Scholars (FGHFS), which offers yearlong international research training opportunities. We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods study design that used qualitative in-depth interviews (n = 18) to inform a subsequent quantitative online survey (n = 82). We assessed URM interest and engagement in GH training at three stages of FGHFS (applicants, alumni, and eligible persons who had not applied). Most participants in both phases were female, Black or African American, aged between 31 and 39 years, and had completed graduate or postgraduate training; a third or less were Hispanic. We identified four principal barriers to participation in GH training programs including lack of exposure to GH, lack of mentorship or support, challenges of global travel and work, and finances. The barriers compounded across training stages. Principal facilitators of training engagement included encouraging mentors and supportive families. Recommendations for increasing the participation of URM individuals in GH research training programs included increased financial support and exposure to GH in academic studies, as well as exposure to role models and mentors who can provide career advising in GH. Our findings suggest that early exposure, mentorship, and sufficient financial support will facilitate URMs’ entry into GH.

Author Notes

Financial support: Research reported in this publication was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the NIH under award number D43 TW009337.

Disclosure: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

Current contact information: Usha Ramakrishnan, Monique Hennink, Riley Hunt, and Lan Tran, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, E-mails: uramakr@emory.edu, mhennin@emory.edu, rileyhunt23@gmail.com, and lan.tran2@emory.edu. Kofi A. Kondwani, Dionne Williams, and Champagnae Smith, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, E-mails: kkondwani@msm.edu, dawilliams@msm.edu, and chamsmith@msm.edu. Radhika L. Sundararajan and Linnie M. Golightly, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, E-mails: ras9199@med.cornell.edu and lgolight@med.cornell.edu. Donna J. Ingles, Teris Taylor, and Douglas C. Heimburger, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, E-mails: donna.j.ingles.1@vanderbilt.edu, teris.taylor.1@Vanderbilt.Edu, and douglas.heimburger@vumc.org.

Address correspondence to Douglas C. Heimburger, Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, 2525 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37203. E-mail: douglas.heimburger@vumc.org
Copyright:
© The author(s) 2025
Received:
20 Dec 2024
|
Accepted:
24 Mar 2025
|
Published Online:
13 May 2025
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645

Leprosy

By Sir Leonard Rogers and Ernest Muir. Pp. i–xii, 1–260. Second Edition, Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, Md., 1940

Goldberger on Pellagra

ed. by Milton Terris, Professor of Preventive Medicine, New York Medical College. xii + 395 pages. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 1964. $12.50

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