Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship

Global Emergency-Peru and Vietnam The UC Davis Health Department of Emergency Medicine offers a fellowship program in Global Emergency Medicine. This fellowship strives to prepare future leaders of international health and emergency medicine health systems. Fellows develop skills in cross-cultural collaboration, international public health, health equity, teaching in resource-constrained settings, and improvement of emergency medicine health systems and delivery of care.

This flexible program is designed for Emergency Medicine Physicians seeking a broad education in Global Emergency Medicine. This fellowship offers a range of experiences and providers, particularly strong experience related to emergency medicine infrastructure building around the world, medical education, and ultrasound training within low-resource settings. In addition to their work abroad, fellows will gain clinical and educational experience at the University of California, Davis Emergency Department, a level-1 adult and pediatric trauma center serving the diverse population of Northern California. UC Davis Emergency Department is also a certified stroke, cardiac, and transplant center, allowing fellows the opportunity to gain vast clinical experience in a tertiary care hospital regarded as one of the best in the nation. Fellows divide their time between working clinically at UC Davis Health while also working in multiple other domestic and international sites during the course of their fellowship under the guidance of multiple faculty members.

Curriculum

Benefits

Fellows will be provided a competitive and comprehensive salary and benefits package through the University of California Health System. Tuition and Fees for the Masters in Public Health will be covered by the Department of Emergency Medicine. Additionally, Fellows will receive a generous annual stipend to cover costs of their projects and associated travel.

In addition to funding through the Department of Emergency Medicine, residents and fellows within the University of California program are also part of a large union. As such, fellows receive additional resources including food stipends, educational funding, etc.

Fellows can pursue either a one-year or a two-year fellowship track. While the two-year fellowship track is preferred, applicants may be considered for a one-year track on an individual basis or if they already possess an MPH. On a two-year track, fellows will have the opportunity to purse a funded Master of Public Health degree through the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (distance learning modality) but may choose an alternative advanced degree depending on their area of interest and future career goals.

Fellows will participate in a monthly Global Health Journal Club and education sessions with global emergency medicine faculty. We have a strong division of Global Emergency Medicine, and fellows will have the opportunity to work with a variety of Global EM faculty who specialize in a variety of areas of Global EM, including ultrasound in low-resource settings, EMS, Disaster and Humanitarian Response, EM education, public health programming, and medical infrastructure building. The Department of Emergency Medicine hosts many other renowned fellowships and we encourage collaboration across fellowships and divisions. As part of this ongoing collaboration, fellows have the opportunity to attend a variety of other educational sessions including quarterly fellow education and networking sessions hosted by Emergency Medicine faculty, Disaster and Humanitarian Response Courses, professional development courses hosted by UC Davis, etc. Fellows also support and teach monthly sessions for the residents within our Global Health Area of Distinction program, where interested residents participate in a longitudinal curriculum focusing on low-resource care and global health.

Partnership Sites and Active Collaborations

Edward Frances Small Hospital, Banjul, The Gambia
Vietnam Diploma in Emergency Medicine, Cho Ray Hospital and University Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Safari Doctors Partnership, Lamu County, Kenya
Emergency Medicine Training Program, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
Sacred Valley Health NGO, Ollantaytambo, Peru
University of Rwanda School of Medicine, Rwanda
White River Indian Health Services Hospital, White River Arizona
Humanitarian Response Deployments in partnership with International Medical Corps (IMC)

For more details, see below for information on each partnership including opportunities for fellowship and prior projects.

Fellowship Director

Norkamari Shakira Bandolin, M.D.

Email: sbandolin@health.ucdavis.edu

Global Emergency Medicine Faculty

Norkamari Shakira Bandolin, M.D. – Fellowship Director
Molly Hallweaver, M.D. – Assistant Fellowship Director
Christine Nicole McBeth, D.O., M.S.P.H. – Faculty
Pranav Prathap Shetty, M.D., M.S., M.P.H. – Faculty

Current and Previous Fellows

Spencer May, M.D.
Juliette Gerardo, M.D.
Jonathan Chan, M.D.
Molly Hallweaver, M.D.

How to apply:

Contact the fellowship leadership, Shakira Bandolin, M.D. and Molly Hallweaver, M.D. for more details about the fellowship, upcoming deadlines and application details (see below). Of note, we do participate in the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship Consortium. Please check out their website for additional details: https://www.saem.org/GEMFC/gem-fellowships-current-programs

Applications will be received on a rolling basis and should include:

Letter of interest specifying why you are interested in UC Davis as well as your plan to pursue a 1- or 2-year fellowship
Three letters of recommendation (including one from the applicant’s program director if currently in residency). Please ensure that the program director or one of the letter writers comments specifically on your clinical skills and academic standing during residency.
An updated curriculum vitae.

Send completed applications to Shakira Bandolin, M.D. (sbandolin@health.ucdavis.edu) and Molly Hallweaver, M.D. (mphallweaver@health.ucdavis.edu).

Deadlines: Applications open on July 1 and close September 14.

Interview dates:

Per the current University of California policy, we will be hosting virtual interviews for the upcoming season. Once your application has been received and reviewed, you will be notified if you are eligible for an interview. If your application has been accepted, we will reach out to you to schedule an interview. Interviews will be held during September and October. If you are interested in visiting our department, please let us know, and we will be happy to organize a visit. To ensure equity, we will base our decisions on virtual interviews, but we encourage you to visit us in person to learn more about our city and medical community. If you would like to arrange a visit, please email us with your availability.

Candidate requirements and eligibility

Interested applicants must have completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) – approved Emergency Medicine Training program prior to beginning the training program. Successful applicants must be board-certified or board-eligible in emergency medicine when they begin the fellowship.
Candidate requirements and eligibility
Interested applicants must have completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) – approved Emergency Medicine Training program prior to beginning the training program. Successful applicants must be board-certified or board-eligible in emergency medicine when they begin the fellowship.

Project and Partnership Details

The Gambia – Building Sustainable Emergency Care and Ultrasound Education
In partnership with Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), our team is engaged in multiple long-term initiatives to strengthen emergency care and clinical education in The Gambia. A key focus is our longitudinal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Bootcamp, which includes annual in-person training trips complemented by a virtual teaching curriculum and continuous quality assurance support.

Beyond ultrasound, we are also working to build capacity for the WHO Basic Emergency Care (BEC) course, improve emergency department triage systems, and support efforts to enhance departmental efficiency and provider education. These collaborative projects aim to develop sustainable, locally led systems that improve care for patients and training for future healthcare leaders in the region.

Partnership lead: Christine McBeth, D.O., M.S.P.H..

Vietnam Diploma in Emergency Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
As part of an ongoing collaboration, we launched the country's first Diploma in Emergency Medicine Program in 2019. This is a 12-month intensive Emergency Medicine Training Program supported by US and Vietnamese-based faculty and Emergency Medicine Physicians. Fellows work closely to run the program and implement the curriculum, which includes virtual and in-person education. Fellows also have the opportunity to spend time in the respective hospitals, gaining experience in Emergency Departments around Vietnam. This project is based out of Ho Chi Minh City, with our first partners including Cho Ray Hospital, the busiest public trauma-focused hospital in Vietnam, as well as the University Medical Center, an academic and tertiary care center. As of 2025, the program has expanded to include students from Hanoi Medical University and Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, as well as multiple rural community hospitals.

Partnership lead: Shakira Bandolin, M.D.

Safari Doctors Partnership, Lamu County, Kenya
Safari Doctors provides locally led solutions for remote communities that lack access to vital health services in Lamu County, Kenya. Their team does this through mobile medical outreach and a Community Health Worker model. We are working to support Safari Doctors' work through education, clinical outreach, and public health programming. Please visit their website for information about the amazing work they are doing

Partnership lead: Molly Hallweaver, M.D.

Sacred Valley Health, Ollyantaytambo, Peru Sacred Valley Health, Ollantaytambo, Peru
Sacred Valley Health (SVH) is an NGO located in Ollantaytambo, Peru a beautiful and remote area located with the Andean Region of Peru. Many communities within this region are isolated and must be self-sufficient. With a focus on empowerment and culturally competent education, Sacred Valley Health strives to train and support local community health workers, known as promotoras. In addition to supporting the mission and efforts of SVH, fellows will learn how NGOs function while also gaining experience with community health curricula, the delivery of medical care in austere environments, and the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing efforts. The organization also hosts multiple elective experiences for health professionals and health students, including an Indigenous Health Medical Student and Nursing Elective. These elective experiences are supported and run as a collaboration between Sacred Valley Health and Shakira Bandolin, M.D.. GEM fellows can learn about how NGOs function, participate in community health worker training and program infrastructure building and support the student educational experience through work with this organization. Shakira Bandolin, M.D. currently serves on the Executive Board of Directors of Sacred Valley Health

Partnership lead: Shakira Bandolin, M.D.

White River Indian Health Services Hospital, White River Arizona
Fellows participating in 2-year fellowships will have the opportunity to moonlight at the IHS Site serving Native communities in Arizona. This is an amazing opportunity to serve local communities within our own borders.

Partnership Lead: Molly Hallweaver, M.D.

Humanitarian Response Deployments
Fellows will have the opportunity to train and deploy to disasters around the world and help with humanitarian response efforts in collaboration with NGOs specializing in Disaster and Humanitarian Response. Individuals will get extensive training before deployments. Involved organizations including International Medical Corps and Project Hope.

Partnership Lead: Pranav Shetty, M.D., M.S., M.P.H.

Ultrasound Area of Distinction (AOD) within 2-year Global Health Fellowship
Are you passionate about point-of-care ultrasound and global health? The Ultrasound Area of Distinction within the Global Health Fellowship offers a unique opportunity to deepen your expertise while making a global impact. Fellows in this track gain hands-on experience and advanced training alongside our Ultrasound Fellowship team, contribute to medical student education, and help shape ultrasound curriculum development in low-resource settings. You'll have the chance to teach and collaborate internationally—leading ultrasound initiatives and educational programs in The Gambia and Vietnam—while building your own proficiency in performing, reviewing, and teaching POCUS. Whether it's hosting virtual QA sessions, helping train local providers, or spearheading a scholarly ultrasound project, this track prepares you to become a leader in global ultrasound education. Reach out to the fellowship leadership to learn more.

We also have connections and opportunities available in other parts of the world through our current global health faculty, including sites in Belize, Bhutan, and Botswana. If you are interested in these sites, we can share more details and coordinate project work and visits.