March 2009

WHO hires Northwestern grad

Molly Meri Robinson, DC, a November 2007 graduate of Northwestern Health Sciences University, has been offered a staff position at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. She was offered the position after serving as the first doctor of chiropractic in the Traditional Medicine internship program at WHO from March 10 to June 6, 2008. Although there are no internships specifically reserved for chiropractors, chiropractors are now eligible to submit applications to the general intern pool.

During Dr. Robinson's internship in the Traditional Medicine Program she was responsible for revising press releases, announcements and Power Point presentations. A significant portion of time was spent in the creation of informational documents about the variety of non-pharmaceutical based health care practices recognized by WHO and also about the WHO Congress on Traditional Medicine, which took place in Beijing, China, in November 2008.

Each program within WHO chooses the number of interns it feels is necessary or desirable for each project. According to Robinson, in 2008 the Traditional Medicine Program took a total of four interns from the thousands of applications they received from around the world. The application consists of at minimum, a resume, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a letter of motivation. Some positions require additional criteria, and selection is based on the information provided by the applicant.

Some of the interns are there for as short a time as six weeks. The Traditional Medicine Program requires a minimum of 12 weeks from interns, although in certain situations, interns may be asked to extend their internship for up to 24 weeks. "We chose not to extend my internship, but instead I was offered a staff position in the department," Robinson explains. "The position I return to in January will be very different, as I will be a staff member working on specific chiropractic-based projects."

All internships are voluntary, and the intern is responsible for all expenses, including food, travel, and accommodations. Interns are responsible for making all of their own arrangements. Northwestern, many organizations, and several individual donors stepped forward to help Robinson in this venture.

"The reception I have had, both within the chiropractic community and the larger health care arena, has been incredibly supportive and gives hope that the true global integration and acceptance of chiropractic health care might be closer than we could have imagined," Robinson says.