Global Health
The Area of Concentration in Global Health has been developed with
consultation from faculty and students, and after exploration of similar
academic programs in other institutions. It promises to be a unique opportunity
in medical education at UCSF. The components of the Global Health AoC are
designed to stimulate student interest in global health problems, prepare
students for international experiences, and provide exposure to various
career and practice opportunities in global health. Certain components are
required for completion of the Area of Concentration, and others are recommended.
The first step in getting involved in the AoC is to log onto iROCKET,
go to the "Areas of Concentration" course, and fill out the
Interest Form the AoC that interests you.
This course is designed to stimulate interest in global health issues
by presenting a diverse offering of topics including health promotion
and project planning, infectious disease control and epidemiology, tobacco
in developing countries, poverty and health, human and natural disasters
and maternal, child and reproductive health. It is intended to introduce
first- and second-year medical students to the world of global health.
The first offering will be winter quarter (January-March) 2004.
This half-day workshop will be offered twice per year. The first offering
was completed in May 2003 with positive evaluations from the attendees.
The session includes discussions of cultural sensitivity, case studies
of field experience, practical aspects of traveling such as personal safety,
necessary documents and travelers' health issues as well as panels with
invited guests. Agenda
(summer)
This optional international experience is intended for the time period
between the first and second years of medical school with the broad goals
of learning another language, experiencing a different culture, joining
an ongoing research project, shadowing physicians and learning about different
health care delivery systems.
Students will be encouraged to identify a faculty mentor who may assist
the student in finding a suitable senior elective project in global health.
Research activities are emphasized, and the OIP will soon have a broad
listing of faculty who may be approached with mentorship requests.
(Summer Block 2)
This is an intensive four-week summer course
covering a variety of topics in much greater detail than the introductory
elective and focusing on case discussions and integration of the many
issues that influence global health such as, poverty, politics and the
development process in addition to the clinical aspects of health care
in developing countries. The course is intended for fourth-year students
prior to undertaking the international practicum experience, as well as
third-year students who are taking a year off to pursue an MPH degree
or international work, and motivated first-year students who are between
their first and second years. For UCSF students pursuing an MPH degree
from UC Berkeley who elect to complete an Area of Specialty in global
health, the UCSF course will satisfy the international health core course
requirement at UCB. Although the course will not carry any units of credit
toward the MPH degree at this time, we intend to propose the plan to the
curriculum committee in the School of Public Health for UCB course credit
once the course has been proven.
It is highly recommended that students pursuing a concentration in Global
Health extend their medical education by a year in order to incorporate
in-depth opportunities in International Health. This experience should
be arranged in cooperation with a mentor and could take the form of an
MPH program, and NIH or CDC fellowship emphasizing Global Health, or an
individual project designed by the student and a mentor.
In comparison to the international experience
during the summer between first and second years of medical school, the
practicum is intended to be a much more focused project (either clinical
or research) lasting three to six months. The student will be expected
to produce a project report and give a presentation at the Student International
Health Symposium during the spring of their fourth year. It is also expected
that some students will expand their research project reports enough use
them as the basis for an MD with thesis.
For further information, please contact
the Office of International Programs.
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