Medical Elective Report

Elective report: World Health Organisation, Geneva

Learning objectives:

• To learn about the role of the Global Health Ethics Unit within the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• To learn about the structure of WHO and its work across a number of areas.
• To attend the World Health Assembly and benefit from the array of educational events on offer.
• To develop my French language skills, work in an international environment and meet young people from across the globe.

I joined the Global Health Ethics Team, WHO HQ, for six weeks as an intern. My main project
was to develop a training kit on the ethical issues related to public health surveillance to be
adopted by staff working across WHO’s member states. This was an enjoyable and
challenging project to explore an area of global health ethics in depth.

As well as producing normative guidance, the team also reviews WHO’s research proposals
and I participated in a number of research ethics committees. The team invited my active
participation and the discussions were very interesting, covering a number of studies which
varied in both content and nature.

There were also a number of opportunities to pursue areas beyond global health ethics. I
met with members of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse team to discuss my interest
in humanitarian psychiatry, and also attended a training course for WHO staff on
Psychological First Aid. There were numerous seminars open to WHO staff and interns
during my placement, on topics including access to affordable medicines, safe abortions and
Big Data.

A highlight of my placement was the World Health Assembly, which took place at the United
Nations. I attended a number of interesting events and was fortunate to hear presentations
from the UK Health Secretary, President of Uruguay and Dr Tedros Adhanom (Director
general of WHO). Working at the WHO also allowed me to meet with these delegates, as
well as many others, at events throughout the World Health Assembly.

Perhaps most enjoyable were the opportunities to explore the area surrounding Geneva
during my placement. Living in a house-share in Ferney, France, I enjoyed visiting the
Château de Voltaire as well as the town’s weekly market. I also visits to nearby Lyon and
Annecy and explored parts of Francophone Switzerland during my placement, including
Montreux, Vevey and many local wineries in Satigny. I was fortunate to explore the local
cuisine and culture in many of these resions.

Although Geneva is a highly international city, there was ample opportunity to practice my
French during the placement. I especially enjoyed the international environment at WHO,
where I was met fellow interns from all over the globe, which contributed to a diverse
environment for both working and socialising. We all learnt a lot – and very much enjoyed –
sharing our experiences during our time here.

In summary, my placement provided a fascinating introduction to the unique region of
France and Francophone Switzerland which surrounds Geneva. I have learnt a lot both in
and outside of my work at the World Health Organization, and I will look back on the
elective with happy memories.