MIRT is a national program designed to encourage underrepresented students to pursue careers in biomedical and behavioral science research careers. The program provides support for undergraduate and graduate students to do research work overseas. MIRT is funded by The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health. The Harvard School of Public Health MIRT Program (formerly the University of Washington MIRT Program) builds on established linkages with academic institutions throughout the developing world, including in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Thailand, Republic of Georgia, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, and Australia. Students spend 8-12 weeks (beginning mid-June) at the foreign research site.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Specific objectives are as follows:

    1. To provide Fellows with direct experience in population-based health research in developing countries.
    2. To enhance the research programs of junior faculty members through multidisciplinary collaborative research with colleagues in foreign institutions.
    3. To encourage expansion of cultural perspectives and international knowledge of students and faculty.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

  • All applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents of the US.
  • All students must be in at least their junior year at the time of the start of the Fellowship and must be enrolled in a full-time degree program at the time of application.
  • Research and travel experience is not required, only a strong desire to participate in international health research work.

EXAMPLE PROJECTS OF HSPH MIRT (FORMERLY UW MIRT) PROGRM SITES

CHILE

  • Factors Related to Children’s Missed Therapy Visits at a Free Rehabilitation Clinic Serving Punta Arenas, Chile
  • Nutritional Status and Obesity in Children and Young Adults with Disabilities
  • Risk Factors for Depression in Caregivers of Children with Disabilities
  • Patterns of Bottle Feeding and Use of Pacifiers in Preschool Children Residing in Pategonia, Chile

 

ETHIOPIA

  • Comparison of Measures of Adiposity in Identifying Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Ethipian Adults
  • Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of hygiene among school children in Angolela, Ethipia
  • Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Gender Based Violence
  • Access to Water and Sanitation and Trachoma in Rural Ethiopia

MEXICO

  • Evaluating the Efficiency and Impact of Murals in Disseminating Women’S Rights in Four Pueblos of Oaxaca, Mexico
  • Adolescent Sexuality in Urban and Rural Mexico
  • Knowledge, Behavior and Access to Information
  • Reducing Stigma Surrounding HIV/AIDS: Evaluation of an Educational Program for Health Professionals in Mexico

 

PERU

  • Prevalence and Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence among Pregnant Women in Lima, Peru
  • Risk Factors for Migraines in Lima, PeruKnowledge and Fears Concerning the Papanicolaou (Pap) Test and Cervical Cancer in Lima, Peru
  • Risk factors of abruptio placentae among Peruvian women.
  • Knowledge Attitudes, Beliefs and Practices among Unregistered Female Sex Workers in Lima, Peru

 

THAILAND

  • Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Relationship to White Blood Cell Count in a Population of Thai Men and Women
  • Risk Factors of Hypertension among Patients Receiving Health Exams at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand
  • Risk Factors of Hypercholesterolemia among Thai Men and Women at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand
  • Risk of Preterm Delivery in Relation to Maternal Low Birth Weight

 

REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

  • Diabetes Mellitus and Impaired Glucose Tolerance among Emergency Cardiology Patients
  • Risk factors and severity of coronary arterial disease among emergency cardiology patients

 

VIETNAM

  • Risk Factors Associated With Low Infants Birth Weight in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam
  • Comparison of farming and non-farming mothers in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam

 

ZIMBABWE

  • Prenatal Care Utilization and Fetal Outcomes at Harare Maternity Hospital
  • Dietary Risk Factors for Preeclampsia and Eclampsia among Zimbabwean Women
  • Seroprevalence and risk factors of syphilis infection in pregnant women delivering at Harare Maternity Hospital, Zimbabwe
  • Maternal mid-arm circumference and other anthropometric measures of adiposity in relation to infant birth size among Zimbabwean women

 

For further information on application procedures and eligibility requirements, please contact:

Mr. Bizu Gelaye
Department of Epidemiology
Harvard School of Public Health
677 Huntington Avenue
Kresge, Room 501
Boston, MA 02115
Tel: 617-432-1071
email: bgelaye@hsph.harvard.edu