Health Volunteers Overseas is pleased to offer the Feinberg Fellowship for Long-Term Volunteers. This new opportunity, funded by a generous grant from the Wyss Medical Foundation, is the first significant variation to the HVO volunteer model. It will enable HVO to meet requests from our partner institutions that require volunteers for focused, long-term assignments at specific project sites.
While the core of HVO’s model relies on the utilization of short-term volunteers, HVO recognizes there are critical needs at many of our partner institutions that require longer volunteer placements to ensure effective, sustainable solutions. We have established the Feinberg Fellowship to address these needs and to provide financial support to volunteers able to commit to assignments of three to twelve months in length.
The Feinberg Fellowship will cover volunteers’ roundtrip airfare and housing costs, as well as assignment-related expenses such as visa(s), medical/nursing council registration, etc. In addition, the volunteer will receive a modest stipend to cover food, transportation, and other incidental costs while on assignment.
We are currently recruiting for two Feinberg Fellowships, one in anesthesia and one in nursing education. If you are interested in applying or have questions, please contact Lisa Vu.
Goal: Lao Friends Hospital for Children is recruiting a long-term volunteer to work with 16 nurses in the High Acuity Unity (HAU). During the six month assignment, the volunteer will:
- work with the High Acuity Nurse Manager to create safety guidelines for nursing practice and facilitate their implementation,
- collaborate with the LFHC nursing team to develop competencies for inotropes,
- ensure all nursing staff are competent and tested in ventilator management, and
- support the HAU nurse manager to develop management skills for the unit.
The main working hours are Monday to Friday, 8am-5pm, but there is flexibility for alternative hours if required.
LFHC Background: Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) is a private, nonprofit hospital founded and supported by Friends Without a Border (FWAB). FWAB is a nonprofit organization with the mission to provide compassionate medical care to children in Southeast Asia. In 1999, FWAB founded the Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) in Siem Reap, Cambodia, followed by the opening of LFHC in 2015. HVO currently has three projects at LFHC that rely on short-term volunteers: anesthesia, nursing, and pediatrics.
Volunteer Requirements: The volunteer must be a registered nurse with a minimum of three years of experience working in an ICU. Experience working in a resource-scarce setting is preferred.
Length and Preferred Dates: 2-6 months, to be scheduled as soon as possible.
For more information, contact Lisa Vu, HVO Director of Programs, at l.vu@hvousa.org
The Feinberg Fellowship funds airfare, housing, and a small living stipend to a volunteer who can spend six to twelve months working at the Paul E. Farmer Maternal Center of Excellence (MCOE) in Sierra Leone.
Goals:
- Strengthen safe, high-quality anesthesia care in a newly built maternity hospital serving a rural population
- Provide reliable clinical coverage to support obstetric and emergency surgical services during critical staffing gaps
- Build durable perioperative systems that enhance safety, communication, and efficiency
- Develop and implement basic and advanced resuscitation training programs for anesthesia staff, midwives, nurses, and surgical teams
- Mentor local clinicians in anesthesia care, crisis management, and perioperative best practices
- Support the creation of a culture of continuous improvement, respectful care, and clinical excellence
Work site: The placement is at the Paul E. Farmer Maternal Center of Excellence (MCOE), which is a new center established by Partners in Health at Koidu Government Hospital in Kono District. The hospital serves as a referral center for obstetric emergencies and high-risk pregnancies. It has 120 beds, 39 NICU beds, and three operating theaters. Read more about the MCOE here.
Volunteer Activities:
- Provide hands-on anesthesia care for cesarean sections, emergency obstetric procedures, and other surgical cases as needed.
- Participate in daily clinical rounds, case reviews, and perioperative coordination in conjunction with local anesthesia team, surgical colleagues, and nursing leadership.
- Develop and deliver structured education sessions in obstetric anesthesia, maternal resuscitation, neonatal resuscitation, difficult airway management, and crisis resource management.
- Support implementation of evidence-based perioperative protocols (preop evaluation, spinal anesthesia standards, hemorrhage pathways, anesthesia safety checklists, etc.).
- Work with local leaders to strengthen workflows across triage, operating theaters, PACU, and emergency response systems.
- Support the development of a labor epidural analgesia program by designing clinical pathways, assisting with procurement planning, and helping establish documentation, infection-prevention, and patient-education processes that align with international best practices and the realities of a low-resource setting.
- Coach and mentor anesthesia staff through bedside teaching, simulation, and team-based debriefings.
- Support quality improvement efforts through audits, data review, and incident-response learning.
- Help establish a durable foundation for long-term perioperative workforce development.
Volunteer Requirements:
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) or Physician Anesthesiologist (MD/DO)
- Minimum of 3–5 years of independent anesthesia practice, including routine management of obstetric anesthesia and peripartum emergencies
- Demonstrated experience delivering anesthesia in resource-limited or variable-acuity settings (preferred)
- Additional training or experience in practice of critical care medicine (preferred)
- Strong skills in teamwork, clinical teaching, systems building, and multidisciplinary communication
- Commitment to capacity development, safety culture, and equitable care
- Ability to adapt practice to a low-resource environment while upholding high standards of care
Length and Preferred Dates: 6-12 months preferred, March 2026 or after
For more information, contact Lisa Vu, HVO Director of Programs, at l.vu@hvousa.org
About Rita Feinberg
HVO is honored to offer this long-term volunteer fellowship in memory of Rita Feinberg, a dedicated HVO board member and supporter who passed away in 2015. Ms. Feinberg worked in international development for over thirty years, and she was a passionate, vocal supporter of HVO’s mission. She pushed hard to ensure that projects were appropriate and sustainable and that relationships with our international partners were lasting. This fellowship is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and colleague, Rita, who championed our commitment to strengthening health systems through education, training, and mentorship.