SHE Center Education and Training

Global Program for Scholars (GPS)

The Global Program for Scholars (GPS) was introduced to the SHE Center's mission in 2019 to address educational inequities experienced by students and healthcare workers in the MENA region compared to other global systems. Dr. Navid Madani, the SHE Center’s Program Founder and Director, noted a strong interest in reciprocal idea exchange between hospitals and students in the region, emphasizing a two-way collaboration with Dana-Farber and MENA partners. The MENA region faces a significant 'brain drain' as many young people choose to study abroad and settle elsewhere, prompting the GPS to focus on identifying individuals with ties to the region or those in need of further education within MENA. The program aims to encourage scholars to return after completing temporary fellowships at the SHE Center at Dana-Farber.

Prior scholars — selected in collaboration with regional Ministries of Health and in-country academic institutions — have been highly successful after leaving this program. For example, after training in the United States, one Iranian scholar became the first AIDS fellow of the Imam Khomeini Hospital; and a U.S. student who trained with Dana-Farber in Iran became a Fulbright Fellow, studying global health development.