About Us
At Fair Trade Electives (FTE), our mission is to transform medical elective placements in the Global South by creating a more ethical, fair trade based system that benefits both students and host communities.
We aim to provide high-quality, impactful elective experiences for medical students, while supporting local healthcare providers through transparent, meaningful partnerships.
Our focus is on fostering mutual respect, learning, and ethical responsibility in global health education, ensuring that both students and host organisations benefit from the experience.
Our Team
Academic Lead
Jon is an Emeritus Professor of General Practice at the University of Dundee, having retired in 2023.
Jon's academic career involved a broad array of research activity and teaching roles, including leading the Dundee MBChB programme before becoming the inaugural Programme Director for ScotGEM. As electives lead for Dundee he established the UK Medical School's Council Electives Committee.
Chief Executive
Amy started her career at the British Red Cross and since then has held various senior roles including Head of External Affairs at Capability Scotland, Director of the International Voluntary Service and Chief Executive of Classrooms for Malawi.
Amy's specific interests and areas of expertise are global citizenship, international volunteering and skills exchange, study abroad, global healthcare, sustainability and climate education & justice.
Student Engagement
Brittany holds an MSc in Africa and International Development from the University of Edinburgh and has nearly ten years of experience working for third sector organisations spanning the US and the UK.
Brittany's passion lies in working alongside communities, global citizenship, and international development. She is excited to bring her previous experience as a co-founder of a solar company in Cameroon to the Fair Trade Electives team.
Trustee
Katy is a General Practitioner and Clinical Senior Lecturer at Dundee Medical School, responsible for the electives programme for final year medical students. She has recently taken on the role as Chair of the UK Medical School's Council Elective Committee.
Katy has a Masters in Medical Education and has been involved in various pieces of research around electives in the global south and led research into the feasibility and value of medical electives in an alternative African country for African medical students.
Adviser
He currently supports a number of startups with a focus on clean technology and sustainability.
E-Learning Lead
Ana brings a wealth of experience in education and critical thinking to Fair Trade Electives, having held academic positions at the University of Cambridge and, as the Founding Director and CEO of the Cambridge e-Learning Institute.
With extensive relevant experience, including as a course director training mental health professionals for charities in Africa, Ana is helping us create engaging Pre-departure Preparation modules for students.
Our Story
After years of working with medical students and host organisations in the Global South, our founders recognised the need for a system that not only provides valuable educational opportunities but also uplifts local healthcare communities and respects their needs and contributions.
We are the first charitable organisation focused on bringing fair trade principles to the elective process. Our unique approach is built on collaboration, fairness, and ensuring that students engage responsibly in the global healthcare landscape.
We are committed to providing elective opportunities that respect and support local healthcare providers. By partnering with trusted host organisations, we ensure that elective placements are educational, sustainable, and beneficial to the community.
We operate on fair trade values, which means creating equitable, transparent, and respectful relationships between students, universities, and host organisations. This ensures that hosts are not exploited, and students have a meaningful, well-supported experience.
FTE is a charity, which allows us to focus on making elective placements accessible and impactful, without the profit-driven pressures. We offer students the opportunity to fundraise for their host organisation, contributing directly to the local community's needs.
Our robust Quality Assurance system ensures that elective placements meet high standards, with feedback from both students and host organisations. This enables us to continually improve and provide the best experience for all parties involved.
Our Core Values
We believe in working together — with students, medical schools, and host organisations — to create the most impactful experiences.
Transparency and honesty are at the heart of everything we do. We aim to build trust by acting in the best interest of both students and hosts.
We value the expertise and contributions of our host organisations and are committed to ensuring they benefit from the elective process as much as the students do.
FTE fosters responsible global citizens by teaching students the importance of ethical participation in global health.
Fair Trade Electives builds on nearly twenty years of experience developing ethical, community-led medical electives through long-standing partnerships in the Global South. This work began at the University of Dundee under the Responsible Electives programme, whose values, learning and partnerships now underpin FTE's fair-trade model.
We work with selected Universities in the UK and host organisations across the Global South, who share our commitment to ethical and educational elective placements. These partnerships are central to ensuring students have meaningful learning experiences while contributing to the health and well-being of local communities.
We recognise that global mobility comes with environmental impact. As part of our fair trade approach, we support students to engage thoughtfully with the carbon footprint of their elective travel. Our Climate Guidance outlines how to calculate emissions, consider personal choices around offsetting, and understand the wider context of responsible global health travel.
