FELA: Expanding the HBHE Internship Program Globally
Field Experience in Latin America (FELA) is a summer internship program coordinated by Dr. Armando Matiz Reyes for students in HBHE. FELA began as a small pilot program for students in HBHE with the goal to provide global internship opportunities for our students.
In 2007, HBHE had a vision of a more bigger more coordinated internship program. Dr. Reyes had contacts with many NGO's in Latin America made this a logical starting point to pilot the program.
Dr. Reyes, not only coordinates the program, but is a mentor to the students. In addition to contacting the organizations and coordinating the placements, he brings the students together as a cohesive group where they can learn not only about the health disparities within the region, but also about the culture and society.
To prepare for their internships, students attend an orientation session at the beginning Winter semester. The students then work on improving their Spanish language skills, learning more about their host organization and country, pursuing funding sources, and working with the International Programs Office to prepare for their travel to Latin America.
The program has been a great success. In 2008, there were seven students placed in a variety of organizations in Latin America. This year the program expanded to include Asia, and Africa. as well as several domestic placements around the U.S. and placed over 23 students.
"The program gives the students an opportunity to be involved in new cultures; political, economic, social aspects of human life", says Matiz-Reyes.
Here are just a few examples of projects and placements.
Centro de Promoción y Solidaridad Humana (CEPROSH) in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
"In order to assess patient satisfaction at CEPROSH's clinic, I developed a semi-structured interview, trained staff to administer 50 of them to clinic patients, and analyzed the results."
Fundacion Tejedores de Vida, Bogota, Colombia
Vision Mundial, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 
"I interned with Vision Mundial Republica Dominicana. In addition to making visits to rural locations where VM carries out its work and attending HIV support groups, I helped to develop a system for data entry for VM’s programs. I also helped to conduct pilot testing of new prevention models for pregnancy –prevention workshops with local youth, created a data system to evaluate the material tested in the workshops and analyzed the data. "
ANPIRCF, Panama City, Panama
"I worked with Asociaction Nacional de Pacientes con Insuficiencia Renal Crónica (ANPIRCF), a 10 year-old grass roots advocacy NGO started and run, by and for patients with renal failure. During my internship, I wrote ANPIRCF's first grant proposal to support low income families during hospitalization, for which we were awarded a $30,000 grant through SAB Miller's (Miller Genuine Draft) corporate social responsibility fund. Additionally, I facilitated a 7-week long Photovoice project that led the Panamanian Ministry of Health to address the concerns of uninsured renal patients, filling the gap in much needed services. "
If you are interested in hosting a summer internship student, please contact us.
2009 International Field Experience Locations and Organizations
| Guatemala | WINGS |
| Brazil | John Snow |
| Colombia | Clinica de Nuestra Senora de la Paz |
| Honduras | Yojoa Int'l Medical Center |
| Panama | Asociacion Nacional de Pacientes con IRC |
| Peru | Via Libre |
| Honduras | Habitat Para la Humanidad |
| Honduras | Yojoa Int'l Medical Center |
| Dominican Republic | Fundacion Cuidado Infantil |
| Panama | Probidsida |
| Texas/Mexico | University of Texas |
| Rockville | Maternal and Child Health Bureau |
| New Mexico | Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico |
| Seattle | YouthCare |
| Blangadesh | Grameen Bank |
| South Africa | South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative |
| China | Golden Courage Int'l |
| Tanzania | Shaloom Care House |
| South Africa | South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative |
| Jordan | Makan: House of Expression |
| Capetown | Triangle Project |
| Georgia (Russia) | IDACIRC |
For more information about the FELA program or other internship opportunities, contact:
Dr. Armando Matiz - Reyes, DDS
FELA Program Director
University of Michigan
School of Public Health
109 S. Observatory St., Room 3762 A
Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109
(734) 763-6530
armandom@umich.edu