The BRIGHT (Brown Residency International Global Health Training) Pathway is a 2-year longitudinal program designed to create and support a multidisciplinary community of residents and fellows who are interested in making global health part of their career. The BRIGHT Pathway consists of quarterly meetings with guest speakers, along with a self-directed curriculum of core global health topics. Residents and fellows in the program are required to complete a scholarly activity and presentation prior to graduation. For those residents and fellows fulfilling these requirements, they will be granted a Global Health Certificate at graduation.

We are pleased to announce that this year BRIGHT has partnered with the Center for Global Health Equity (CGHE). “CGHE is a multidisciplinary  university-wide effort to reduce health inequities among underserved populations locally and worldwide  through education, research, service,  and development of partnerships.” Through this partnership, we will facilitate more collaboration between faculty members, residents, fellows and members of the Brown community who are interested in global health.

BRIGHT scholars will meet periodically throughout the year to discuss these topics in a collaborative interdisciplinary fashion to foster a rich community of discussion about global health topics. Residents and fellows are encouraged to share their own previous and current experiences and how they relate to the global health topics covered. BRIGHT residents and fellows will also participate in the Paul J. Galkin Global Health Grand Rounds series during the academic year.

Participants are expected to complete and present a scholarly global health project by the end of the 2 years. We recommend residents join during the last two years of their residency program. Participants are also required to attend 3 BRIGHT/CGHE events per year. No prior global health experience is necessary to apply.

The 2025 BRIGHT Pathway application is open! The deadline is August 18, 2025.

1. Applications are sent out towards the end of the academic year through the respective residency and fellow programs for the next academic year. Applicants in good standing are encouraged to follow the directions on the application and return it by the deadline. Should you have any questions about the application process, please contact the BRIGHT resident or faculty directors who can assist you with any logistical issues you may encounter.
2. Applications should include a letter of good standing from your program director, along with responses to the following two prompts to megan_feragne@brown.edu
   • Briefly describe what skills you would bring to the program (i.e. prior experiences working with different cultures or underserved populations, language skills.)
   • How will the BRIGHT program help you accomplish your career goals?
3. Given that residents only have 2 years to complete the pathway and scholarly project, once selected, residents are strongly encouraged to start envisioning what their project may be and identify potential project mentors prior to the application for the program. They may contact their mentors to discuss their ideas prior to completing the application.

Please submit all questions and applications to megan_feragne@brown.edu. 

2025 Bright Application

All scholars choose a scholarly project in an area of their interest. These can be research projects, clinical program development activities, or clinical reviews. Collaborative projects between scholars are also allowed and encouraged. The goal of the scholarly project is to provide an opportunity for scholars to deepen their knowledge of a specific area of global health. These projects can provide the seeds for future work that will continue after residency. Scholars select a mentor based on their interest area. The role of the scholar’s mentor is to assist with and review their project development as well as give additional advice where possible to help guide the scholar in the development of their global health interests.

Examples of Scholarly Projects

1. Continuous electronic fetal monitoring compared with intermittent auscultation in a low-resource setting
2. Analysis of serologic biomarkers as predictors of mortality in Ebola Virus Disease
3. Creating a global child health consortium in New England
4. Study of implementing spirometry on the wards at Moi Referral Hospital, Kenya
5. Quality improvement initiative to improve refugee care within the Medical Primary Care Unit
6. Review of screening for latent tuberculosis infection within the HIV care program in Rhode Island
7. Review of literature related to Burkitt’s Lymphoma with focus on sub-Saharan Africa
8. Educational program with goal of increasing provider awareness of and skills managing teen violence
9. Community wellness initiative and creation of a safe walking path in Shiprock, NM on the Navajo reservation
10. Development of a case-based learning pediatrics curriculum for Haitian medical students
11. Epidemiology Underlying Diabetes in Latina Women: Comparing Local & Global Populations
12. Mapping Snake Antivenom Availability in Nepal Using a Cross-Sectional Survey of Snakebite Treatment Centers
13. Understanding and Expanding Opportunities for Pediatric Global Health Education in the Northeast United States: Trainee and Faculty Perspectives
14. Implementing a POCUS education program in western Kenya 

Kimberly Ho, MD  - Internal Medicine PGY2

KHo1@brownhealth.org 

During her undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago, Kim first developed her interest in global health while volunteering as a medical interpreter at a free clinic in Chicago’s Chinatown. In this role, she served families from disadvantaged and underserved backgrounds, gaining firsthand insight into the social and cultural determinants that influence health outcomes. She further strengthened her cultural and linguistic competencies through study abroad programs and additional volunteer experiences at senior centers in China, Chicago, and New York City.

In medical school at NYU, located in communities where she grew up, Kim continued her commitment to local service and expanded her focus through research in population health. There, she examined the social, geographic, and structural factors affecting patient outcomes at local, national, and global levels, particularly in liver and infectious diseases. This work was recently published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.

Kim’s current interest is about how patient outcomes in GI and liver diseases (i.e., viral hepatitis, MASLD, hepatocellular carcinoma, GI malignancies, and H. pylori) vary across populations, with a goal of highlighting society- and cultural-specific barriers to improve access to high-quality care. As an internal medicine resident, she continues to pursue research at the intersection of gastroenterology/hepatology and global health and will improve cultural competency through direct exchange. She is excited to share her passion for global health with fellow trainees at Brown University and to contribute to the future direction of the BRIGHT program.

Moe Uddin, MD - Infectious Disease Fellow PGY5

moe_uddin@brown.edu