Engage with us - Students
Integrate your academic experience with community engagement.
Are you a UCalgary student looking to get more involved in health equity projects, research or education? Are you already involved in community engagement activities and are seeking to connect more effectively with university resources or community partners? We can help.
Our office is able to provide students with knowledge, resources and opportunities to take part in health equity community engagement initiatives across the CSM and within the communities we engage. Whether through global health electives, volunteer opportunities, pre-clerkships or research projects, students have the ability to apply their skills, build community connections and make a real difference at home and abroad.
In fact, one of our primary goals is to facilitate education, research and engagement efforts that build health equity at home and abroad, and to enable experiences that educate students on the different cultures, beliefs, delivery systems and types of social determinants that affect health.
How we help students:
The support and opportunities we offer UCalgary students is intended to integrate student academic experiences with community needs to address social and health inequity concerns. Whether it is through volunteering, taking part in a global health research project or simply supporting on-campus initiatives, we strive to help you integrate your skills and academic knowledge with collaborative experiences in the community.
- We can help you access opportunities to be involved in Indigenous, local and global health experiences.
- We can help connect you to resources and knowledge to help enable your efforts.
- We can connect you with community partners, organizations and stakeholders for further community engagement opportunities.
- We can help facilitate relationships with other university departments and groups regarding community engagement initiatives.
- We can support your student-led project or initiative.
Please note: We are currently revising our website and we appreciate your patience as we make these changes.
Local Health Opportunities
RISE for Health, formerly Immigrant Youth and Health initiative, offers UCalgary students the opportunity to learn from and co-create community health programs with immigrant youth. Together, students and youth plan and execute youth health learning activities geared towards immigrant and refugee communities in Calgary, and build health leadership capacity of youth within these communities.
Please check back to see new opportunities.
Global Health Opportunities
Global health experiences provide students with unique opportunities to see how the social determinants of health play a key role in patient health and health seeking behaviours.
This Field School offers University of Calgary students the opportunity for experiential learning about Global Health promotion, capacity building, and equity through a mix of classroom and field/research work in a Low and Middle Income Country (LMIC) country setting.
This unique one-month immersive learning experience provides a BHSc 3-course credit, and is hosted by our long-term partner institution, the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Southwestern Uganda.
UCalgary undergraduate students learn together with MUST counterparts (with multidisciplinary content expertise - gender studies, planning, development, environment), through a busy curriculum that involves one week of participatory classroom learning and site tours followed by three weeks working together with communities, culminating with student presentations showcasing outputs and experiences to stakeholders and institutional leaders.
The course emphasizes competencies in community entry, community engagement, health promotion, global citizenship, and cross-cultural exchange, with exposure to aspects of health equity, reciprocity, social determinants of health, and community-first approaches. Facilitated by faculty members from MUST, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies and organized through the Department of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Research (DMNCHR-Healthy Child Uganda), this hands-on experience leads to transformative learning opportunities for future global health leaders including collaborating and learning from and with communities and peers in a cross-cultural environment.
If you have any questions, please email globalhealth@ucalgary.ca or vanmarle@ucalgary.ca
-
UME Structured Global Health Clerkship Electives
Undergraduate Medical Education students can participate in a four week global health elective at partner sites in Uganda, Tanzania, or Nepal during their clerkship. These structured placements provide clinical clerks with a variety of experiences in low-resource settings, alongside students from our partner institutions. An accompanying UCalgary faculty member provides mentorship and enhanced learning in each location. Experiences are complemented by language and culture training and unique cultural activities.
Indigenous Health Opportunities
Through this program, a group of Elders visit the medical school on a rotating schedule and engage in meetings with students, faculty, and staff, provide teachings and workshops, strengthen protocol at events and ceremonies, and build relationships with students.
Please note: due to COVID-19, programming is undergoing revisions. Please contact the Indigenous Health Program Coordinator for more details.