The Department of Community & Family Medicine entertains applications from international medical students interested in undertaking a placement in community medicine/family medicine/ public health/global health. The placement offers a unique opportunity to train in the post-war context of northern Sri Lanka. Four to five placement positions are available at any given time, and are filled on a rolling basis. Successful applicants will work together with their supervisors to formulate elective objectives and a schedule before arrival.
The placement provides opportunities for students to:
- Become familiar with the structure and organization of the preventive health sector in the Jaffna and the Northern Province of Sri Lanka;
- Visit a range of health institutions located in the Northern Province, including provincial/district-level health administrative institutions, divisional hospitals, maternal and child health clinics, and other non-government organizations providing services at the grassroots level;
- Participate in community-based health promotion and health education programmes and activities;
- Work alongside healthcare staff and communities where Tamil is the primary language, thereby enhancing cross-cultural communication skills; and
- Gain familiarity with the challenges of working in a resource-poor setting.
Duration of the elective
Elective programmes are preferably structured for 1-week or 2-week durations, allowing flexibility while ensuring meaningful academic and field exposure.
The elective programme may include the following components:
Clinical and academic activities
- Exposure to community medicine and family medicine practice through university family health center clinic, preventive health services, and field-based public health activities
- Participation in academic activities within the department, including seminars, case discussions, and academic meetings
Teaching sessions
- Attendance at undergraduate and postgraduate teaching sessions conducted by faculty members
- Field based interactive sessions on primary healthcare, public health systems, and health system challenges in low- and middle-income and post-conflict settings
Clinic exposure
- Observational exposure to medical clinics, divisional hospitals, maternal and child health clinics, and preventive health institutions
- Opportunities to observe patient care and service delivery in community and primary care settings, in line with institutional policies and ethical standards
Research opportunities (where applicable)
- Involvement in ongoing or planned research projects related to community health, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, or health systems research
- Exposure to basic qualitative and quantitative research methods, subject to feasibility and ethical approval
Special areas of interest within the department
Students with specific academic or professional interests may choose to focus on one or more of the following:
- Community-led health promotion- engaging with communities to design, implement, and evaluate locally driven health initiatives;
- Transformative learning opportunities – experiential learning that fosters critical reflection on health equity, social determinants of health, and professional identity; and
- Implementation science-related research- understanding how evidence-based interventions are adapted, implemented, and sustained in low-resource health systems.
This elective is designed to be flexible, academically enriching, and responsive to individual learning needs while offering meaningful exposure to community-oriented healthcare delivery.
Interested applicants should contact the Department of Community & Family Medicine (email: dcfm@univ.jfn.ac.lk).
