About MSF USA | Doctors Without Borders

 

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international organization that provides medical care to the people who need it most. The organization cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, disasters, and social exclusion in more than 70 countries. MSF offers medical humanitarian assistance solely based on need, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or politics. Our international project teams include medical, logistical, and administrative staff, most of them hired locally and working with their own communities. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality. We also bear witness and speak out about the experiences of our colleagues and patients.    MSF USA is one of 24 sections supporting the global movement, primarily through staff recruitment, fundraising, advocacy, and communications. We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s social mission.  

Role Overview

The Global Health Advocacy and Policy team (GHAP) sits within the Programs Department at MSF-USA. It is the primary entity responsible for engagement with stakeholders within the United States on global health issues pertinent to MSF’s work, both for MSF-USA and the movement at large. The GHAP team monitors and analyzes policies and practices of US-based global health actors on several dossiers, including access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, and climate. The GHAP team also engages with civil society organizations, develops public-facing advocacy communications, and collaborates across the MSF movement to advance global health policy objectives.

 

The GHAP team works closely with the Humanitarian Representation Team (HRT), which is responsible for carrying out humanitarian diplomacy on behalf of MSF’s global operations to ensure that the needs of our patients are understood by the people shaping international and medical policies. The US-based HRT includes the Humanitarian Representatives to the United Nations and the Humanitarian Representative to the United States.

 

Global Health Advocacy and Policy Intern should be prepared to help with research projects (some ad hoc and short-term, some more in-depth), legislative and events monitoring, admin support, including contact database management and meeting coordination. Legislative and events monitoring and research will focus on global health topics covered by the GHAP Team dossiers, which include: access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, and climate and environmental health. The intern will also assist with materials development and meeting preparation, such as drafting briefing documents and copyediting.  

 

Current or recent graduate-level students or law students pursuing work in a field related to the GHAP Team’s work, including public policy, law, global health, public health, or international relations, would best suit this position. Candidates with demonstrable interest in and experience with at least one of the GHAP Team dossiers: access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, or climate and environmental health, would best suit this position. This role can be based either in our New York City or Washington, DC office location.

 

Department Accountabilities

Support for MSF Medical and Humanitarian Programs 

The Programs Department supports the medical humanitarian programs of the MSF Movement in different ways. Each unit contributes to one or more of these responsibilities: 

• Advocacy and Representation in support of Operations – develop strategies to influence public policy debates as well as private bilateral engagements on behalf of MSF.
• Research, Analysis, and Data Management in support of Operations – direct, perform, or facilitate research to address questions posed by Operations. Track and analyze specific policies and practices of governments, multilateral organizations, and others as requested by Operations. 
• Grant making in support of MSF medical humanitarian programs and movement initiatives.
• Monitoring of the Regulatory Environment - engages with regulatory issues affecting Programs specifically to ensure compliance in grant making and to inform Operations and the International Legal Department.
• Monitoring of the Policy Environment - engages with Policy issues to ensure information sharing and action based on medical and operational needs of the mov