From Neighborhoods to Nations, Global Health Education at a Medical School

The physicians of tomorrow will need to be more aware of global health issues due to increased travel, movements of populations, disease outbreaks and disasters. As part of the curriculum revitalization, students at the Medical College of Wisconsin are required to choose one of five Pathways in their M-1 through M-3 years. This allows them to individualize their education by pursuing areas of personal and professional interest. Students that choose the Global Health Pathway (GHP) will understand GH perspectives and become better able to care for patients in low-resource settings around the world. The GHP lays the foundation for certification in the field of clinical tropical medicine. Students develop an individualized learning plan. A required minimum of 10 hours a month is divided between Core Sessions, (delivered through educational group discussions, didactic presentations by faculty experts and community leaders,) and self-directed non-core activities (such as service learning projects in community-based settings with refugee resettlement programs, working at federally qualified health centers that serve immigrants, or addressing global health issues through study and research). One or two month GH rotations are available for students in their M-4 year based upon faculty's international partnerships that are credible, sustainable, and reciprocal. Also, summer GH research opportunities allow M-1s to spend ten weeks examining inequities in health spilt between an international and local community site. These types of experiences are a means for physicians-in-training to learn important lessons about GH disparities, cultural diversity and encourage them to commit to improving local and global health.