FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Peace Corps Urges Medical and Nursing Educators to Apply for Service in Final Application Push

Application deadline for first group of volunteers is Saturday, December 1

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 27, 2012 – The December 1 application deadline to join the first group of volunteer medical and nursing educators in Peace Corps’ Global Health Service Partnership is fast approaching. The Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP) will place nurses, physicians and other health professionals as faculty in medical or nursing schools in Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda starting in July 2013.

GHSP is an opportunity for American physicians and nurses to make a real difference in communities abroad by addressing the known shortage of skilled physicians, nurses and clinical faculty in developing countries.

Launched in March, GHSP is a collaboration of the Peace Corps, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the non-profit Global Health Service Corps. Qualified American medical professionals will work alongside health care professionals in developing countries and help the system build their full potential. The partnership addresses other nations’ shortage of health professionals, serving to improve both the quality of health care and the capacity for medical and nursing education.

Since the agency’s early years, the Peace Corps has sought to improve health outcomes in the countries where it serves. GHSP is the agency’s first formal effort to send physicians and nurses overseas to strengthen higher education for health care providers. It is part of the Peace Corps Response program, which provides qualified professionals the opportunity to serve in rewarding, short-term assignments, in programs around the world.

GHSP volunteers will receive the same benefits as Peace Corps Response volunteers, including: monthly living stipends, transportation to and from their country of service, comprehensive medical care, readjustment allowances and vacation days. They will also receive additional technical training and support. The Global Health Service Corps, independently of the Peace Corps, will raise funds from the private sector to finance loan repayment stipends for eligible volunteers.

About the Peace Corps: Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961, more than 210,000 Americans have served in 139 host countries. Today, 8,073 volunteers are working with local communities in 76 host countries in agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth in development. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment and the agency’s mission is to promote world peace and friendship and a better understanding between Americans and people of other countries. Visit www.peacecorps.gov for more information.

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