The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) is pleased to announce its Public Health Fellowship Program: Summer 2022
The DC-Cam Public Health Fellowship is a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience working with survivors of atrocity crimes and their families in a variety of hands-on public health services-related initiatives in Cambodia.
Between 1975 and 1979, Cambodia was controlled by the Khmer Rouge regime, which oversaw the deaths of over 2 million Cambodians. The Khmer Rouge committed horrific atrocities, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Many survivors of this period suffer from physical injuries, ailments, and trauma directly caused by the regime.
Since 1995, DC-Cam has been working on behalf of victims and their families to secure justice and promote truth, memory, and reconciliation. DC-Cam is a non-profit, non-governmental research institute dedicated to documenting the history of the Khmer Rouge regime (also known as the regime of Pol Pot). DC-Cam holds the world’s largest archive of evidence on the Khmer Rouge regime, and it provides crucial support to the UN-Cambodia Khmer Rouge tribunal (the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)), which was established to prosecute crimes committed by senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime. Since the early 2000s, DC-Cam saw a great need for helping survivors with access to care, and in August 2021, DC-Cam was awarded a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to study survivors’ conditions and support improvements to their access to, and awareness of, public health services and resources.
The purpose of this fellowship is to assist DC-Cam in its public health services project, titled Advancing the Rights and Improving the Conditions of the Health of Khmer Rouge Survivors Supplemental Program Activity (i.e., “Project”).
This Project aims to improve the welfare of Khmer Rouge survivors through targeted interventions that raise public health awareness and access to public health services for survivors, as well as provide field research on survivor welfare conditions, particularly in remote communities.
This project has five goals:
(1) Study the barriers of access to essential health and social services for the survivors of the Khmer Rouge;
(2) Raise awareness about the plight and challenges experienced by survivors;
(3) Study how traumatic experiences affect long-term health;
(4) Provide physical and virtual forums dedicated to survivors to connect, socialize and share their experiences in routine challenges and common struggles; and
(5) Map Khmer Rouge survivors and their unmet health needs.
DC-Cam Public Health Fellows will be given the opportunity to work alongside DC-Cam staff, medical consultants (both U.S. and Cambodian), U.S. fellowship supervisors/professors, and Cambodian youth volunteers (known as “CamboCorps”) in conducting research on the physical and mental health conditions, welfare, and other challenges of survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime.
Fellows will be given the opportunity to support a variety of public health research and support activities, including, but not limited to:
• Developing public health messages based on DC-Cam’s existing data
• Developing a local health glossary
• Assisting the team with public health education and project reporting
• Conducting field trips to remote communities
• Providing input, advice, and support to staff and consultants pursuant to improving access to care, services, and support of survivors.
• As part of this project, DC-Cam has partnered with Cambodian private health care clinics under the supervision of the relevant clinical senior medical officials and the DC-Cam’s medical director. Fellows will have the opportunity to work with local staff and CamboCorps volunteers in private health care clinics who are offering public health education sessions, and providing other services and support to survivors.
Eligibility: Fellows will be expected to perform their work in Cambodia. Fellows will be required to commit to a minimum of 8 weeks in-country. The fellowship period is from July 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022. DC-Cam welcomes applications from individuals currently engaged in completing or in possession of graduate-level education in a public health-related field (which can include, but is not limited to physicians, psychologists, nurses, physical therapists, nutrition specialists, and health systems management professionals). Basic statistical skills, scientific writing, and excellent communication are required. Knowledge or fluency in the Khmer language is welcome, but it is not required for this Fellowship.
Individuals interested in applying for this Fellowship should submit the following information:
• Curriculum Vitae that includes your full name, Degree(s), Discipline/Professional Field, Present Position, Institution/Organization, Work Address, Home Address, Office Telephone Number, Mobile Telephone Number, Email Address, and educational and work experience
• Where/How You Learned About the Program
• A short 500-word statement describing:
1. How or where you learned about this fellowship
2. Your strengths and qualifications
3. Your primary reasons for applying to the fellowship
4. Previous experience living, studying or working abroad
5. How this fellowship aligns with your short- and long-term professional goals
6. A description of your experiences or contributions in the health or aging field
• One letter of recommendation from a person who knows you well (supervisor, colleague, advisor, mentor, etc.) at your current institution.
Award: Successful applicants will receive funds to cover travel and per diem, and a salary of $8,000 (minus 14% Cambodian tax) during the Fellowship period.
Please send your submissions to the following individuals:
• Ms. Farina So, Principal Deputy Director, DC-Cam: truthfarina.s@dccam.org
• Dr. Lisa Brown, Consultant: lbrown@paloaltou.edu
• Mr. Christopher Dearing, Consultant: dearingck@gmail.com
Deadline for applications:
5:00pm (U.S. Eastern Standard Time), Friday, May 20, 2022
DC-Cam is an equal opportunity employer. It is DC-Cam’s policy to promote equal opportunity to all fellows regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, parental status, or political affiliation.
‘Although two millions were killed, five millions more survived to tell their story.’ Justice and Memory YOUK CHHANG Director Documentation Center of Cambodia e: dccam@online.com.kh t: +855 (0) 12 90 55 95 w: www.dccam.org
