We will be recruiting for one position to start July 2027. Please see https://www.saem.org/gemfc for the fellowship application. The application deadline is October 12, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Interviews will be held virtually on October 23, 2026.
You must also join the NRMP Match for the Match process. Reach out early with any questions!
The Penn Global Emergency Medicine (PGEM) Fellowship seeks to prepare leaders in the field of Global Emergency Medicine (EM) through a two-year curriculum focused on developing academic, administrative, and clinical skills in the field of Global EM. The primary focus of the fellowship is Global EM education and development; however, fellows will receive training in all sub-fields of Global EM including, but not limited to, disaster/humanitarian response, international law and policy, ethics in GH, research, and refugee health/health of displaced populations. Fellows will be encouraged to participate in ongoing projects in countries partnered with Penn and Penn Faculty; however, fellows will also be encouraged to develop projects at other sites.
The objectives of the fellowship are to give Fellows:
- The ability to make sustainable improvements in global emergency medical care primarily through emergency care systems development, EM education, and research.
- A working knowledge of Global and Public Health, including research methods, by obtaining a graduate degree/advanced degree and by completing additional select specialized training programs in GEM.
- Administrative skills to develop and lead international projects and the ability to apply for funding.
- Comprehensive training in the field of Global EM, including, but not limited to, areas such as global health policy, ethics, and disaster response/humanitarian assistance.
- Advancement and refinement of clinical skills within Penn Medicine and at international sites.
Follow us on Instagram and X at @PennGlobalEM, visit the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowships website. The PennEM website or email us at PennGlobalEm@pennmedicine.upenn.edu for more information.
GEM Training: Each fellow will participate in specific additional course work in GEM as offered by the Department and the institution as well as through select external opportunities and courses – both in-person and online. Fellows will become Scholars of the Penn CGH and will be connected with relevant centers at Penn as well as mentors both within the institution and externally. Fellows are encouraged to participate in regular scheduled opportunities (i.e. Journal Club) throughout the institution and among local institutions in the Philadelphia area.
Projects: Each fellow will work abroad on GEM projects. Each fellow will be encouraged to participate in current opportunities (i.e. in Pakistan and Botswana), but also to take advantage of other opportunities, as well as to continue any current project(s).
Graduate Education: Each fellow will obtain a Master of Public Health in the Global Health Track; other advanced degrees (i.e. Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology) may also be possible.
Research: Each fellow will complete at least one research project of sufficient quality for presentation/publication prior to completion of the fellowship.
Clinical Medicine: Each fellow will work as a member of the clinical faculty (Instructor) of Penn Medicine. Each fellow is encouraged to participate in all faculty and academic activities in the Department of Emergency Medicine, as available.
Megan Rybarczyk, MD, MPH, FACEP
Program Director
Dr. Rybarczyk received her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed her residency training in Emergency Medicine at Boston Medical Center, serving her final year as a Chief Resident. She completed her Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship at the Harvard/Brigham and Women’s Hospital Global EM Fellowship Program, with a focus on emergency care systems development and Emergency Medicine training. Her experiences in the field of Global Health have involved clinical work, research, and/or education all over the world in countries such as Bangladesh, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and Uganda. Her research and academic interests are currently focused on EM education and training, particularly in low-resource settings.
She is currently the Academic Program Lead for the Certification Program in Emergency Medicine – CPEM – in Pakistan.
She is an Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, a Scholar in the Center for Global Health, and a Senior Scholar in the Penn Injury Science Center.
Dr. Julia Schiff
(2025-2027)
Dr. Julia Schiff is originally from Atlanta, GA. She studied Anthropology/Dance at Tufts University followed by an MD/MPH in Global Health at Emory University. She completed Internal Medicine residency at Emory before coming to Penn for Emergency Medicine residency. In addition to joining Penn as a Global Health Fellow 2025, she is a current Master's in Medical Education candidate at Penn. Some of her interests include social and global education systems development, complex climate and humanitarian emergencies, and providing integrated culturally competent care. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, exploring fun food and activities, animals and whale watching.
Dr. Rmaah Memon
(2024-2026)
Rmaah Memon, MD obtained both her undergraduate and medical degree through the Six-Year BA/MD Program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and completed her residency at the Harvard-Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency Program at MGH/BWH. Her interests include emergency medicine capacity building and curriculum development in low- and middle-income countries, and she worked on capacity building projects in Pakistan and Iraq during residency. Her prior work has also focused on improving access to refugee care through the implementation of health screening fairs. She has an interest in digital education and telehealth, and is currently leading a telemedicine initiative in Pakistan, primarily aiming to connect physicians in larger urban areas in Pakistan to patients who live in more rural areas. Through this project, she plans to create the first open-source educational curriculum for urgent care telemedicine for a global audience.
Dr. Priya Arumuganathan
(2023-2025)
Priya Arumuganathan, MD. MPH came to PennEM from West Virginia University’s Emergency Medicine Residency Program in Morgantown, WV. She is from West Virginia and stayed in-state to complete her undergraduate degree at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV as well as her medical degree at West Virginia University.
During residency, Priya served as a Chief Resident and was very active in teaching core EM content, ultrasound skills, and procedural basics to medical students and new residents. Her rural background and training at several critical access hospitals have helped her build a foundation for working in low-resource environments, and she has been able to translate these skills to her global work. Her most recent endeavors include being an ambassador for Child Family Health International and creating updates for the iEM Education Project EM Clerkship Book. Her academic interests include EM education & training in low-resource environments, telemedicine, and rural health.
Dr. Maham Munawar
(2022-2024)
Maham Munawar DO, MS. MPH came to PennEM from the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Southern Illinois University in Springfield, IL. She is from Texas and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas in Austin and a Master of Science and her medical degree at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. As a resident, she was very active in lecturing within her program, and she has built up several social, volunteer, and team-building experiences within the program as well. Her academic interests include, but are not limited to, healthcare access and health policy, nutrition, women’s health, and education/EM program development abroad.
Dr. Joseph Leanza
(2021-2023)
Joseph Leanza, MD, MPH is a former PennEM resident who completed the Healthcare Leadership in Quality Residency Track. He is from Goldens Bridge, New York, he completed his undergraduate studies in International Relations at Johns Hopkins University, and he received his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
His academic interests include the development of emergency care systems, disaster and humanitarian response, education, and environmental health. Within the NGO Global Response Management, he is the project lead for EM specialty and EMS systems development in Federal Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan. He also works in research and education with the Certification Program in Emergency Medicine in Pakistan and Bangladesh and with the Penn Center for Global Health developing simulation curricula at Vin University in Vietnam. He has previously worked in a clinical and research capacity with Global Emergency Care in Masaka, UgandaThe Global Health Case Competition is a collaboration between the Department of Emergency Medicine at Penn Medicine and the Center for Global Health. This free virtual event invites medical trainees from low- and middle-income countries to present unique clinical cases relevant to their local emergency care context. Finalists will present their cases and hear from a keynote speaker working at the intersection of emergency medicine and global health.
Event information
Date: Tuesday July 8, 2025, 8am EST
Zoom Registration Link:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IsHYQKXHRWKYh8QSfc01cw
Abstracts due: June 6, 2025, 5pm EST
July 8 Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Syed Ghazanfar Saleem
“From Silos to Synergy - Equitable Partnerships in Emergency Medicine Across Borders”
Dr. Syed Ghazanfar Saleem / FCPS
Dr. Saleem completed his fellowship in Internal Medicine in 2014 from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan. After this, he joined the Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) as a Consultant in the Emergency Department. Currently, he is Chair of the Emergency Medicine Service Line and Head of Department of the Data Science and Analytics Department at IHHN. His areas of interest are the development of emergency care through leveraging clinical data and education.
Why participate?
Share your emergency case insights, gain international visibility, and connect with fellow global health and emergency medicine leaders. Learn, engage, and win cash prizes!
Cash prizes
- 1st Place - $1000 USD
- 2nd Place - $500 USD
- 3rd Place - $250 USD
- People's Choice - $250 USD
Abstract submission form, guidelines and evaluation criteria.
Contact
Penn residents and faculty are engaged in Global Health initiatives all over the world. Faculty provide mentorship, project and elective opportunities, and connections to a variety of organizations within and external to Penn. Other activities include Journal Club (with colleagues at CHOP), resident/faculty involvement with Center for Global Health activities, and collaboration/overlap with activities in other Divisions (i.e. Ultrasound) and other Departments (i.e. Internal Medicine).
Dr. Joseph Leanza (class of 2021; Fellow, 2021-23) worked with Global Emergency Care in Uganda, Global Response Management at the US/Mexico border and in Iraq, International Needs in Ghana, the Certification Program in Emergency Medicine (CPEM) in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and the Vingroup-Penn Alliance in Vietnam. He also provided first aid training in the Galapagos.
Dr. Maham Munawar (Fellow, 2022-2024) has worked with International Needs in Ghana; the University of Botswana in Botswana, along with Dr. Megan Rybarczyk and Dr. Julia Schiff (class of 2024); the Department of Radiology in Nigeria; Global Response Management in Iraq; and CPEM and training in the WHO-ICRC BEC course in Pakistan.
Dr. Priya Arumuganathan (Fellow, 2023-2025) has worked with the CPEM program and on cardiovascular research and a telemedicine project in Pakistan. She has also worked in Ghana and Botswana.
Dr. Rmaah Memon (Fellow, 2024-2026) has worked on a telemedicine project in Pakistan. She also leads initiatives to teach the WHO-ICRC BEC course.
Megan Rybarczyk, MD, MPH works with teams in Karachi, Pakistan to provide training in Emergency Medicine (i.e., CPEM and WHO-ICRC BEC course) as well as to collaborate on a variety of research projects. Dr. Charles Kemmler (class of 2020) assisted with the training in 2019 and Dr. Julia Schiff (class of 2024) assisted with the training in 2023. She is a recipient of a Penn Global grant for work in Botswana and the SAEM GEMA grant for cardiovascular research in Pakistan. Dr. Rybarczyk is currently the PGEM Fellowship Director.
Over the last several years Jeffrey Kramer, MD, MSc has been the medical director for a project running mobile medical clinics in Ghana. Working with International Needs, a Christian global development organization, a group of American and Ghanaian medical professionals team up to provide healthcare to villages that have little or no access to medical care. Each year they spend ten days travelling to remote villages in the Volta Region of Ghana. Two years ago, they began incorporating ultrasound in their care. The clinics are high volume – up to 700 patients a day are seen by only six physicians. Dr. Chidinma Nwakanma has also been involved with this project.
Dr. AJ Dean (retired) has helped develop EM training in Guatemala and is a leader in ultrasound training in low-resource settings. Dr. Nicole Tyczynska collaborates with partners in Poland for EM development. Dr. Cesar Soto has worked with MedGlobal. Dr. Melissa Villa conducts work in Peru. Dr. Utsha Khatri (class of 2019; alumna of the National Clinician Scholars Program) has worked in Kathmandu, Nepal; Dr. Erik Bluntinger (class of 2019) completed a rotation at Khayelitsha Hospital, South Africa; Dr. Katherine Brodie (class of 2021) studied medical Spanish in Spain; Dr. David Shapiro (class of 2022) provided primary and acute care in Guatemala; and Drs. Mobolaji Fowose (class of 2024) and Julia Schiff (class of 2024) worked with International Needs in Ghana. Dr. Keiry Rodriguez (class of 2025) completed a rotation in Guatemala. Dr. Moizza Shabbir (class of 2025) completed a rotation in Pakistan. Both Dr. Rodriguez and Dr. Shabbir received the Dr. Suzanne Shepherd Memorial Scholarship for their rotations.