Global Health Project Initial Assessment
Country of Travel
Does the country have a travel advisory statement?
Does the country have a travel advisory statement?
Is the proposed project in a region with travel advisory?
Country in the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list?
Does the country require a temporary work permit/working visa?
Professional license?
Partnering Organization
Authorization to do business in a country
Does the organization lack Ministry of Education certification & license to provide medical/clinical education?
Does the organization lack Ministry of Health certification & license to provide medical/clinical services?
Perception about the organization
Is the organization listed in the OFAC?
Is there any evidence of corrupt practices by the partnering organization?
Kind of organization
Is it a locally known organization?
Is it an international organization/NGO?
Is the organization: a. Public? b. Private non-profit? c. Private for-profit?
Alignment with Global Health Mission and Guiding Principles
Education activity
Training/building capacity program?
Defined objectives?
Quantifiable objectives?
Can be incorporated in UU curricula?
Research activity
Requires Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval?
Addresses knowledge gap?
Publications/presentations expected?
Findings can be incorporated into UU curricula, clinical practice, policy, management?
Patient Care Activity
Patient follow-up in place?
Implement standard/operating procedures for Quality Improvement & Patient Safety?
Patient education/empowerment programs?
Medical/service limited mission?
Alignment with Global Health Guiding Principles
Multi-disciplinary/Multi-professional
More than one discipline from the UU involved?
More than one profession from the UU involved?
Are students/residents/fellows/post-docs involved?
Innovative
Work involves a novel, unique, or creative approach for country of interest?
Opportunity to introduce innovation at UU?
Financial sustainability
Secured donor support?
Secured grant funding?
Secured contract funding?
Secured private in-country financial support?
Secured government in-country financial support?
Project requires department of college funding?
Funds cover all direct project costs?
Funds cover in full all programmatic expenses (direct plus indirect costs)?
Funds provide a surplus?
Scoring
The binary selection process can help faculty and leadership assess the relative merit of a proposed global health partnership. Every "yes" generates a single positive value. As different dimensions around mission and values alignment are considered, project favorability can be measured as follows:
Mission Alignment:
Projects should register more than 4 points ensuring that at least one of the mission elements is fully addressed.
Principles Alignment:
Multi-professional/multidisciplinary - At least one point
Innovative - At least one point
Financial sustainability - Secured funding at least one point plus at least one point from cost coverage or, more than 4 points
Definition of Terms
Travel advisory:
It is a travel warning statement issued by government agencies to provide information about relative safety of visiting a foreign country or region. The University of Utah consults with agencies from different governments to gather as much information as it is possible to reduce traveler's risk exposure. Agencies assess risk for the country in general and, in some cases for specific regions in a country. If the country of and applicant has a travel advisory warning, travel authorization can be provided after authorization provided by the chair or dean. If the country and the region where work will take place have a travel advisory warning, the OGH strongly suggest the travel is posponed or a new destination is proposed.
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC):
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the U.S. Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions in support of U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives. Entities conducting business with countries, institutions and individuals in the list can be subjected to fines and other significant penalties. The University will not conduct business in countries or with individuals or institutions in the OFAC list.
In country requirements:
In case the country requires legal licensing or work permit for the activities that the University of Utah faculty and staff will conduct in the country of interest, the partnering organization must procure them and provide adequate evidence before traveling to the country.
Authorization to do business in country:
The partnering organization must be properly registered and recognized by the local authorities in the country of work and the entity is allowed by the local law to conduct the activities described in the agreement. The University of Utah will only engage in official agreements with legal entities in the country of work.
Evidence of corrupt practices:
The International Financial Institution (IFI) defines it as behaviors like offering, giving, receiving or soliciting, directly or indirectly, of anything of value to influence improperly the actions of another party. Faculty interested in developing partnerships abroad can conduct or ask the OGH to conduct a basic web search to find public evidence of such practices that might affect the reputation of the prospect partner and of the University of Utah by association. Is not a "deal braker", but information must be shared with chairs and deans prior travel, or business approval.
Kind of organization:
The partnering organization can be a local organization, or an international or foreign entity authorized to do business in country. The latter concept includes multilateral organizations (i.e. WHO, World Bank, UN, etc.), bilateral organizations (i.e. USAID, FCDO, GIZ, JICA, etc.) or international foundations (i.e. Gates Foundation, Buffet Foundation, Hewllet Foundation, etc.). Working with a lawful local partner is one of the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of 2005, ratified in the Accra Agenda for Action. A given proposed partnership can have both a local organization and an international entity. In that case the interested applicant must indicate "yes" in each box. If the partnering entity is a private for profit organization, (orange box) the applicant must disclose the kind of relationship of the agreement and, in that case, a different approval process might be required to ensure that the University doesn't face any reputational or financial risk.
Global Health Mission:
In 2015 the Global Health Steering Committee, and the Health Sciences Leadership agreed that Global Health projects at the University of Utah would be aligned with the tripartite mission of provided patient care and education and conduct research in related fields. Ideally projects should have all three elements present.
Medical/service limited mission (orange box):
The University endorses the Broacher Declaration principles, for that reason it does not support medical missions conducted to provide services to any given population if the activity is not coordinated with the support of a legal local entity and if proper patient follow up is not ensured. Medical activities in foreign countries should be performed following the legal principles that the University adheres to as a premier academic American institution.
Multi-professional/Multi-disciplinary:
Global Health efforts will be more beneficial for partnering institution and for the University of Utah if different professions and skills are integrated in the proposed project. The Steering Committee gives emphasis to projects that are designed including different disciplines and professions.
Innovation:
It refers to novel or original approaches or techniques promoted or impulse by the proposed project. Innovation is contextual, so ideas or approaches can be new in the country or even setting in which they are applied.
Financial Sustainability:
Projects proposed must be financially an operationally viable; so in addition to ensuring effective transfer of skills, they must also plan for continuity after initial funding ends. Projects must have sufficient financial resources to cover direct operational expenses and defry indirect costs. The University will consider favorably projects that generate a surplus (Residual financial resources after defrying direct and indirect costs).
Department or college funding request (orange box):
Funding from the college or the department for global health activities must be approved by the respective dean or chair.