Alma Sana Inc.

Careers

Join us in piloting a potentially life-saving intervention

Alma Sana recently received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to pursue an innovative global health research project that’s never been tested before. The grant period is Nov. 1, 2012 through April 30, 2014. We will be conducting two feasibility studies, in rural Ecuador and urban Peru, to see whether the use of a patent-pending immunization reminder bracelet by mothers leads to an increase in timely childhood vaccination rates. Each pilot will run for 6 months, starting in June, plus up to two months total of pre- and post-study work on-site. We are actively hiring passionate and talented individuals to help us carry out our pilots. 

Current Opportunities

Below is a list of our current opportunities.

• Global Health Research Internships

Global Health Research Internships - Fall 2013

• Location: Cusco, Peru
• Number and duration of fall internships available: 6 positions, 4 months long (flexible)
• Eligibility: Current or recently graduated undergraduates in global health; current or recently graduated MPH, MSc, MD, RN, PhD students

What We’re Looking For

Are you passionate about improving the health of the world’s poorest? Are you a detail-oriented go-getter looking to gain public health experience abroad? Are you interested in working with a start-up in a prominent role? If so, we would love to hear from you. We have 6 public health internships available in Cusco, Peru. These 4-month positions will go from Aug. 3—Dec. 15, 2013. We can be somewhat flexible on the dates to accommodate for classes.

We are looking for interns with some background in statistics, research, vaccines, and/or epidemiology and passion for improving the health care for people in developing countries. Intermediate Spanish language abilities are required, since you will be living in Peru for 4 months and speaking mostly in Spanish. You will need to be friendly, open-minded, attentive to details, assertive, a great listener and able to communicate proactively. Your internship will be working in a public health center tracking detailed qualitative and quantitative data about the bracelets and immunizations and supporting the nurses and study participants. You will work directly with the local Ministry of Health nurses, which requires patience, good interpersonal skills, and political savvy. You will report to a Project Coordinator. As this intervention has the potential to save lives, we are looking for interns who are positive and will naturally go the extra mile to ensure the mothers are comfortable, nurses are well-informed, and the Project Coordinator is up-to-speed.  

Fall interns will spend the last part of their time wrapping up the study by conducting patient follow-up and at-home interviews in the city limits of Cusco. Using handheld GPS devices, you will also plot mothers' houses to see whether the distance of her house from the clinic has an effect on the timeliness of her visits to the clinic. Above all else, this job will require flexibility and resourcefulness and the ability to achieve goals independently. Please note that this is a full-time position, meaning that you will be required to staff the clinic during all of its 9 daily hours of operation during the week; however the centers do close for siesta for 2-3 hours each day.

What We’re Offering

We’re offering you the opportunity to live and work in Cusco, Peru and engage with a start-up social enterprise. You will play a crucial role in implementing a pilot study and gain invaluable experience in data collection and developing country health systems and healthcare programming. You will also learn firsthand how to pilot a groundbreaking health intervention and learn in-depth about cultural, political, social, and historical nuances of Peru. You will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a long-term experience working with the Ministry of Health, indigenous mothers, and NGOs. Our team enjoys working together, and we know that you will have a fun, rewarding, and unforgettable experience! 

Living Arrangements

We will be renting a large house for the duration of the project for interns to live in. The house will also serve as a meeting place and secure place to store data. By housing all the interns together, you will be able to share your experiences with each other about life in Cusco and foster a sense of camaraderie during your stay. We will keep these housing costs as reasonable as possible, though they may fluctuate. 

Financial Information

These internships are unpaid, but there is no program fee. You will just have to cover your living expenses (conservatively estimated below) and your round-trip airfare. You will be able to organize your own cultural and historical tours around Cusco and to popular destinations like Machu Picchu and the Nazca lines, although we’ll be happy to provide suggestions.

Estimated Monthly Costs Per Person:

• Transportation (by combi) - $30
• Housing - $500
• Meals (3 per day) - $450
• Entertainment/ Miscellaneous - $40
• Total - $1,020

Based on our estimates, the fall internship (4.5 months) will cost about $4,590. Please check with your university or affiliation for funding resources.

Application Process

If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact Lauren Braun, President and founder of Alma Sana, at lauren@almasanaproject.org.

When you are ready to apply, please email to Lauren Braun (lauren@almasanaproject.org) your CV and a 1-2 paragraph response explaining how you match our qualifications and why you are interested in pursuing this opportunity. Please indicate the earliest date that you could arrive in Cusco. 

Alma Sana will be accepting internship applications for the fall internships through June 14, 2013.