Opportunity available to go abroad with UNE’s Ghana Health Partnership!  

Study abroad to engage in direct health services, interprofessional collaboration, community education, and cross-cultural exchange.

Open to students and alumni of UNE

Each May, UNE students work alongside the Ghana Health Service, community health educators and the community, in a two-week Cross-Cultural Health Immersion initiative.

A chance to effect positive change

This annual effort involves collaboration between UNE, the Ghana Health Service, and local Ghana health practitioners to provide primary care, health education, and clinical services to community members in the city of Sekondi and two rural nearby villages.

Learning is facilitated by interprofessional collaboration

American and Ghanaian public health professionals, social workers, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, physician assistants, and optometrists experience the opportunity to learn from, with, and about each other and their patients.

The Mission of the Ghana Health Partnership (GHP) is to improve the health care capacity and advance the health status for the population of Ghana through joint and collaborative research, education and programs in health promotion, care management, and workforce development.

How are students involved?

Watch this video to get a sense of what is involved in the program and the impact on the lives of all involved.

The documentary starts at 3:54 and goes to about 29:00, so give yourself some time to watch. It’s powerful.

Develop, implement, and evaluate health education curricula

Students from all health professions programs are invited to participate, and will, in conjunction with participating faculty, develop, implement and evaluate health education curricula relevant to the population need.

Learn More about the Ghana Immersion Program

Build your skills by practicing culturally-competent healthcare

The Cross-Cultural Health Immersion to Ghana, Africa integrates western health practices with the folk medicine that is integral to providing culturally-competent healthcare to all groups. Cross-cultural health immersion is an important mechanism that can increase one’s awareness with respect to cultural competence. This program will help broaden your worldview and build your cultural-sensitivity skills as a health professional.

History of the Ghana Health Mission

The Ghana Health Mission began in 1996 at the University of Massachusetts, and it was brought to the University of New England in 2008. Since then, UNE, the Ghana Health Service, the University of Cape Coast, and several US-based health organizations have all partnered in this movement.

Participants include interprofessional teams of students and faculty who collaborate and engage in direct health services, community education, and cross-cultural exchange in the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi, Ghana, West Africa.

UNE students can use the experience as their Applied Practice Experience site

This program can also serve as your Applied Practice Experience site for students in the MPH program in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies at UNE. Click here for more information regarding Applied Practice Experience requirements.

Scholarships are available

UNE students are eligible to apply to receive financial assistance. Funding from $250 to $1000 is available through the Global Education Scholarship. Click here to apply for Graduate and Professional Student Association Funding.

Interested in joining next year’s trip?

Click here for general information regarding the Ghana Cross-Cultural Health Immersion program. For immediate questions about this community health study abroad program, contact Jennifer Ceide, jceide@une.edu.