Fellowships, student placements and online courses

The Global Child Health (GCH) Fellowship program aims to prepare candidates for careers in global health by developing leadership and scholarly skills in global health research or capacity building.  

Successful applicants will play a lead role in the design, implementation and analysis or evaluation of research or capacity building projects that cover a wide range of global health topic areas (e.g., nutrition, child growth and development, oncology, infectious diseases, climate change, microbiome, vaccine development, complex systems and network science, implementation science, health system strengthening, health workforce training, etc.).

Throughout the two-year program, fellows will receive global child health education and mentorship from experienced leaders in the field. Fellows must be supervised (or co-supervised) by a C-GCH core faculty member. Fellows will also be expected to meet four times per year with a supervisory committee that will oversee and evaluate their scholarly progress, in addition to attending regular meetings with their primary supervisor(s).

At the time of application, fellows must choose between a scholarly project that focuses on research (Track 1) or capacity building (Track 2); however, all fellows will have the opportunity to gain exposure to both domains of scholarly work. Fellows will be matched with a primary supervisor at the C-GCH based on alignment between the applicant’s skills and interests and the availability of a funded scholarly project being led or co-led by C-GCH core faculty members.

Fellowships will be based at SickKids, with travel to study/program sites, when appropriate.  

Salary support will be provided for the duration of the two-year appointment; however, successful applicants will be expected to apply to scholarship opportunities leading up to and during their fellowship. 

We are no longer accepting applications for the GCH fellowship program.

If you have any questions or would like to inquire further, please email the Global Child Health Fellowship Program Committee at cgch.fellowship@sickkids.ca.

The Centre for Global Child Health (C-GCH) at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) — established in 2013 as the hub for global health activities at SickKids — has partnered with the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto to launch the inaugural SickKids Centre for Global Child Health Global Surgery Fellowship Training Program. 

This one to two-year Global Surgery Fellowship program will provide residents and fellows with the opportunity to develop leadership and scholarly skills in global surgical care, through research, capacity building, advocacy, knowledge translation, and policy development.

Salary support will be provided for the duration of the one to two-year appointment; however, successful applicants will be expected to apply to funding agencies leading up to their fellowship, and to seek out funding opportunities throughout the course of their fellowship in support of their scholarly work.

The fellowship program consists of two tracks: 

• Track 1: Individuals have completed medical school and are currently enrolled in and will have completed at least two years of a residency program in a surgical specialty by the start of the fellowship program.
• Track 2: Individuals who are fully trained surgeons and have completed 5 years of a residency program (or international equivalent) leading to successful Board/Fellowship certification or eligibility for certification in a surgical specialty by the start of the SickKids fellowship program. 

For more information about the program structure, eligibility criteria and application process, please carefully review the Call for Applications.

We are no longer accepting applications for this fellowship.

Questions can be directed to the Global Surgery Fellowship Program Committee at: global.surgery@sickkids.ca.

The Centre for Global Child Health (C-GCH) and the Garron Family Cancer Centre (GFCC) at The Hospital for Sick Children have partnered together to create the Global Oncology Fellowship training program.

The Global Oncology Fellowship program is a unique training program that serves to develop leadership and scholarly skills in improving the outcomes of children with cancer and their families in low- and middle-income countries.

Applicants should be looking to start a challenging two-year academic fellowship program. This interdisciplinary program will be accepting applicants from a variety of clinical, research and other related professional backgrounds (e.g., medicine and surgery, laboratory sciences, nursing, allied health, epidemiology, etc.).

Fellows will be expected to start on or before July 2, 2027; however, there is some flexibility in the start date. 

We are currently accepting applications for the 2026/2027 fellowship cycle.

Deadline to apply: September 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Before applying, please carefully review the following documents for more information about the program, eligibility criteria and the application process:

Call for applications (PDF)
Application form (PDF)

Questions can be directed to the Global Child Health Fellowship Program Committee at: cgch.fellowship@sickkids.ca

Stephen Adombire

Stephen Adombire is a registered nurse from Ghana and a PhD candidate in nursing science at the University of Toronto’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. He holds a Master of Science in clinical nursing from King’s College London, United Kingdom, and has more than a decade of clinical and leadership experience in Ghana.

As an academic fellow in the capacity building stream of the C-GCH’s Global Child Health Fellowship Program, Stephen’s work focuses on advancing newborn screening for sickle cell disease in Ghana through the development of evidence-based implementation resources. Drawing on his doctoral research at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, his leadership experience as a nurse in Ghana and his expertise in evidence-based practice in resource-limited settings, his fellowship work will support health-care teams to implement and scale newborn screening programs.

Agness Chitidze

Agness is a dedicated paediatric haematology-oncology pharmacist and researcher from Malawi with a strong background in clinical pharmacy and epidemiology. She holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) and a Master of Science in clinical epidemiology. Agness’s Global Oncology Fellowship Program work will focus on understanding challenges in accessing and using cancer drugs such as rituximab in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), forecasting the volumes needed and associated budget implications, and identifying treatment-related effects in LMICs. She hopes her work will inform better policies and improve care for children with cancer.

Nebiyou Bayleyegn

Nebiyou Bayleyegn is a general surgeon and researcher with extensive experience in diverse health-care settings, including conflict-affected regions and tertiary academic medical centres in Ethiopia. He holds a Master of Global Health Delivery with a specialization in global surgery from the University of Global Health Equity and a Master of Public Health in epidemiology from Jimma University.

Nebiyou’s work will focus on improving perioperative care, with a particular emphasis on enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in neonates. He will also examine the state of perioperative critical care in LMICs.

Dr. Salima Kerai-Sayani

Dr. Salima Kerai-Sayani (pronouns: she/her/hers) is an interdisciplinary health researcher passionate about promoting the well-being of children and adolescents globally. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in epidemiology and biostatistics from Aga Khan University, where she received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty Fellowship in injury prevention research. Salima completed her PhD in population and public health at the University of British Columbia, with research focused on measuring child well-being in Canada and Pakistan. Her work has garnered recognition through awards and fellowships such as the Society to Cell Clyde Hertzman Fellowship and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) doctoral award.

Salima’s extensive experience working with children and families in several rural and remote communities in Pakistan has given her a deep understanding of global health challenges. Recognizing climate change as a critical public health emergency, especially for vulnerable populations such as children, Salima’s postdoctoral fellowship will investigate how climate-related extreme weather events affect developmental and educational outcomes among children in early and middle childhood in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Evidence of these health impacts is critical to informing future research, programs and policy initiatives to protect vulnerable children globally.

2024

• Michael Prodanuk 
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisors: Dr. Shaun Morris and Dr. Melissa Richard-Greenblatt
  
  
• Paulo Neves
  Country of Origin: Brazil 
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta
  
  
• Ovokeraye Oduaran
  Country of Origin: South Africa 
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Roth

2023

• Michelle Dimitris
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta
  
  
• Hillary Ganek
  Country of Origin: USA
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta
  
  
• Doris Gonzalez
  Country of Origin: Colombia
  Fellowship Stream: Microbiome, Infections and Childhood Growth and Development Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta
  
  
• Sam Brophy-Williams 
  Country of Origin: Australia
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Brian Smith

2022

• Scarlett Puebla-Barragan
  Country of Origin: Mexico
  Fellowship Stream: Microbiome, Infections and Childhood Growth and Development Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Roth

2021

• Laura Vresk
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Robert Bandsma
  
  
• Kun Tang
  Country of Origin: China
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta

2020

• Fiona Muttalib
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta

• Eric Ohuma
  Country of Origin: Kenya
  Fellowship Stream: Fetal, Child and Adolescent Growth and Development
  Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Roth

• Karen O'Callaghan
  Country of Origin: Ireland
  Fellowship Stream: Fetal, Child and Adolescent Growth and Development
  Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Roth

2019

• Ashley Aimone
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Fetal, Child and Adolescent Growth and Development
  Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Roth

• Tessa Clemens
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Howard

• Jessica Duby
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Shaun Morris

• Farah Sheikh
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Margaret Manley 

• Debbie Thompson
  Country of Origin: Jamaica
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Robert Bandsma
  
  
• Liina Mansukoski
  Country of Origin: Finland
  Fellowship Stream: Fetal, Child and Adolescent Growth and Development
  Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Roth

2018

• Barbara Couper
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Stephanie de Young

• Natasha Lelijveld
  Country of Origin: England
  Fellowship Stream: Fetal, Child and Adolescent Growth and Development
  Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Roth

2017

• Hasan Merali
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Academic Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Stanley Zlotkin
  
  
• Ashley Vandermorris
  Country of Origin: Canada
  Fellowship Stream: Global Child Health Fellowship
  Supervisor: Dr. Stanley Zlotkin