International Health Curriculum

Minnesota has become recognized as an epicenter in the field of Immigrant Health due to a major influx of immigrants in the 1980’s and 90’s from Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa.  Indeed you don’t have to leave Minnesota to see patients with “tropical diseases,” such as malaria, strongyloidiasis, or buruli ulcer- even in January! Tuberculosis, which is declining in most states, has not abated in Minnesota, with over 75% of cases occurring among the foreign born. Over 400 immigrants with HIV/AIDS are cared for at clinics within the Twin Cities, which has become a microcosm of this devastating epidemic in their homeland.

These demographic factors, coupled with increased travel of Minnesotans to tropical countries, have stimulated major changes in the curriculum of the University of Minnesota Medical School. Minnesota physicians need to include exotic diseases in their differential diagnoses and understand how language and cultural barriers impede appropriate medical intervention and preventative healthcare. Because of these dramatic events brought about by factors related to the phenomenon of globalization, the Medical School is developing a new “Global Health Pathway.”   Entering medical students who already know they want a career in International Health once training is completed are candidates for this pathway. 

A major goal of the International Medical Education and Research (IMER) Program is to help every medical student participate in a clinical or research elective during their 3^rd or 4^th year (when they can contribute the most at the sites where they are stationed).  However, students are urged to get involved early in organizations and activities related to International Health during their 1^st and 2^nd years and to begin planning for their clinical experiences at international sites during their 3^rd or 4^th year.

Year 1 and 2 

Please visit the IMER office early and often for more information and to read student reports about their international experiences which are helpful in determining where you would like to go.

Diseases and cross-cultural issues that affect health and healthcare of immigrants, as well as indigenous populations in foreign countries, are highlighted in a number of courses in the first and second years of Medical School on the Twin Cities Campus, such as:

Microbiology (MICB 6205), Pathophysiology of Infectious Diseases (INMD 6202), and Physician and Society 1-4 (6050, 6051, 6052, 6053).

The summer break between the first and second years provides an excellent opportunity for International Health-related activities.

Many opportunities for international medical experiences can be found via the internet (see below):
Copenhagen, Denmark
World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, 8, Scherfigsvej, 2100 Copenhagen O, DENMARK

Cuenca, Ecuador
Child Family Health International:  http://www.cfhi.org

Quito, Ecuador
CIMAS, Jose Suarez, M.D.
U of M- contact the Learning Abroad Center http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/about/contact.html

Ghana, Africa
Global Volunteers
www.globalvolunteers.org

Antigua, Guatemala
Amerispan, Spanish for Health care
Google: Amerispan, they are reputable and offer courses I many countries and locations

Danli, Hondura
Mountain Mover’s Missions, International (MMMI)
www.geocities.com/clinica_eya

Northern India
Himalayan Health Exchange
www.himalyayanhealth.com

Arequipa, Peru
Medical Ministry International
www.mmi.org

Madrid& Salamanca, Spain
Alcalingua Language School and DILE Language School
www.alcalinguaweb.com/content/presentation.htm
www.dilecursos.com/en/index.html

Organizations dealing with important issues in International Health: A number of student-led organizations provide excellent forums for presentation and discussion of key topics in International Health, and students are encouraged to look into which of these organizations best fits their interests: Infectious Diseases Interest Group (IDIG;http://www.student.med.umn.edu/idig/homepage.html); American Medical Student Association, http://student.med.umn.edu/amsa/ ;Physicians for Human Rights (Student chapter) http://phrusa.org/students/index.html ;Student International Health Committee, http://www.ahc.umn.edu/about/home.html .

Tropical and Travel Medicine Seminar
The Tropical and Travel Medicine (TTM) Seminar was initiated in the spring of 1999 to create a forum for education, fellowship, and community-building around local and international health issues largely ignored because they affect vulnerable and socio-economically disadvantaged people and populations.  The seminar serves as a local venue for a spectrum of health professionals (medicine, nursing, public health, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine), and is open to all interested individuals including medical students.
www.tropical.umn.edu

Global Health Lecture Series
The pediatric global health core curriculum consists of a two-year monthly lecture series focusing on specific diseases of particular importance in developing countries as well as social political and cultural issues in global child health.  The series will be repeated every two years.
www.peds.umn.edu/globalpediatrics

Year 3 and 4
Cross-cultural experiences “at the bedside” will be encountered at all the U of M Medical School Teaching Hospitals, but particularly at Hennepin County Medical Center, where a Somali Clinic and a Russian Clinic are to be found, and at Regions Hospital, which has outstanding International and Travel Clinics.

The following electives are highly recommended:

International Health Abroad- INMD 7565/7566. http://www.meded.umn.edu/clerkships/INMD_7565-70.cfm
Selection of a site for an international medicine elective should be initiated before the 3^rd year.  Please visit the IMER office early and often for more information and to read student reports.  Reading reports from previous students is very helpful in site selection.  Generally, students are encouraged to consider going to one of the sites with which the U of M Medical School has an affiliation agreement (see below link).

http://www.med.umn.edu/imer/affiliates.html

Global Health Course: Diploma in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ Health-

The University of Minnesota, Department of Medicine, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other University colleges and centers, offers a Global Health Course:  Diploma in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ health, which is offered as an elective every July and August for 3^rd and 4^th year medical students.  This course is accredited by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) and will prepare participants to work in tropical medicine, travelers’ health, and migrant health.
http://www.medres.umn.edu/medres/program/globalhealthcourse.html
Medical Students will take the course as MED 7607

For More Information Contact:
Holly Heisler
Global Health Pathway
Phone: 612-625-3268
Fax: 612-625-3238
Email: heis0009@umn.edu

International Public Health Training for Medical Students
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Foundation provides support for 3^rd and 4^th year medical students for training in Public Health in an international setting through “The CDC Experience:  Applied Epidemiology Fellowship” (a 10-12 month program) and the “O.C. Hubert Student Fellowship in International Health” (4-6 week program).  For more information, visit their website at http://www.cdcfoundation.org/pages.html?page=67.

Additional electives that have global health related components are:

Urban and Community Ambulatory Medicine FMCH 7511
Introduction to Health Care for the Underserved FMCH 7531
Introduction to International Health INMD 7567
Indian Health Service Elective INMD 7552
Assessment and Treatment of Torture Victims ADPY 7505