Penn Medical Students

• Introduction

• Global Health Certificate & Scholar Programs

• Global Health Courses @ Penn

• International/Global Health Experiences: 
  Planning, Required Forms, Opportunities, Funding, Travel Arrangements

• Global Health at Home

• Global Health Careers

• Global Health References

Introduction

At Penn Med, you are invited to pursue numerous opportunities to expand your knowledge about and experience in global health.  You may focus on research or on clinical activities -- in resource-rich or research-poor countries.  You can also have a global health experience without leaving home by working with an immigrant community in Philadelphia, serving as an interpreter, or acting as a peer host for a visiting international medical student. The Office of Global Health Programs (GHP), in cooperation with the Office of the Registrar of the School of Medicine, coordinates global health experiences, provides course work in global health, and advises students on how to earn a Global Health Certificate to accompany the MD degree.  In addition, GHP sponsors an annual Global Health Career Day for students from Penn and other local universities to learn about how professionals incorporate global health in their careers. 

Penn medical students have demonstrated growing interest in and commitment to global health.  Since 2006, on average, more than 100 students a year have participated in a global health activity -- the vast majority in resource-poor countries. These global health experiences have taken place in countries all over the world, including:

• Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
• Asia: China, India, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
• Central America/Caribbean: Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua
• South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Peru
• Europe: Austria, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Penn's medical school curriculum lends itself to global health experiences at two junctures. During the summer between MS1 and MS2, students may pursue experiences of 1-2 months; during the last 18 months of the curriculum, from January of the 3rd year to graduation, students may undertake an activity of 1-3 months.  Experiences that require 6-12 month minimum commitments are best suited for students wishing to take a year out.

Global Health Certificate & Scholar Programs

• Overview
• Global Health Scholar (not an option for students entering after 2005)
• Global Health Certificate (option for all current students)

International/Global Health Experiences: Planning, Required Forms, Opportunities, Funding

• Planning (see first required form due February 1)
• Registration (see second required form due 6 weeks before experience begins)
• Opportunities & Associated PennMed Student Reports
• Funding:  Overview/Site-Specific/General/Year-Out
• Travel Arrangements

Global Health at Home

• Be a Penn Language Link Interpreter
• Learn Medical Spanish
• Bridging the Gaps
• Reciprocity:  Host an International Medical Student at Penn

Global Health Careers

• International Career Employment Weekly
• Global Health Career Day @ Penn
  • 2009, 2008, 2007
• Global Health Council Conference Networking Opportunities

Global Health References

• Ethical Considerations for Short-term Experiences by Trainees in Global Health (JAMA 10/2008 -- Crump & Sugarman)
• Journal Articles & Books:  12/2008 Word Document
• Médecins Sans Frontières:  Research for Health Workers in Developing Countries

Overview

The Global Health Scholar designation and Global Health Certificate programs are designed to benefit students who are interested in pursuing careers in this area by allowing them to demonstrate active engagement and longstanding commitment to global health.  It is hoped that this commitment, as documented on the student's academic record, can help to overcome what is often a barrier for professionals seeking their first international health post.

• Global Health Certificate (option for all currently enrolled Penn medical students)
• Global Health Scholar (option limited to students who were enrolled by August 2005)

Global Health Certificate

To earn the Global Health Certificate, students must:

1. Complete two field experiences (see Bridging the Gaps below for alternative) lasting a minimum of 4 weeks each but preferably 6-8 weeks, usually between years MS1-MS2 and during MS3-MS4. Please note that to have these experiences qualify, student must:
   • Submit Global Health Experience Registration forms prior to commencement (preferably 6 weeks in advance) of each experience
   • Ensure completion of Evaluation Forms for each experience
2. Complete the Introduction to Global Health course, PUBH 519, offered by the Master of Public Health program in the School of Medicine, 1 credit unit, Fall Semester (Global Health Seminar Series offered in 2004 and 2005 can substitute)
3. Complete a scholarly pursuit (or equivalent*) that has global health relevance.  *Please contact Helene Weinberg or Nancy Biller if you need information about this. 
4. Submit a Global Health Certificate Request form. 

Global Health Scholar

This program is being replaced by the Global Health Certificate Program.  However, it is still available as an option to all PennMed students (from all classes) who were actively enrolled in August 2005.

To qualify, students must have two field experiences (see Bridging the Gaps below) lasting a minimum of 4 weeks each but preferably 6-8 weeks, usually between years MS1-MS2 and during MS3-MS4, or a single experience that lasts for 6 months or more.  Global health experiences must be documented by Global Health Experience Registration forms that are submitted prior to commencement (preferably 6 weeks in advance) of the experience.  Global Health Scholars must also attend the annual Global Health Seminar Series or the Introduction to Global Health course at any time during medical school.  Upon receipt of a Global Health Scholar Designation Request form, the office of the Registrar will review student records and will determine whether an individual student has met the requirements for graduation as a Global Health Scholar.  Global Health Scholar status is entered in the student’s Penn Medicine transcript, and can be used for future reference letters (such as the Dean’s letter for residency applications). 

• Bridging the Gaps Community Health Internship
  As an alternative for the summer between MS1 and MS2, students may wish to participate in the Penn Medicine program “Bridging the Gaps, a Community Health Internship Program” and have this experience credited as one of the required experiences for graduation as a Global Health Scholar or for the Global Health Certificate.    To learn about Bridging the Gaps, click here and follow the links for detailed information about program opportunities and program coordinators to contact. 
  
• Global Health Scholar Designation Request
  To be considered for graduation as a Global Health Scholar, please submit the Global Health Scholar Designation Request.

Planning an International Experience

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of planning early. A number of summer programs have December and January deadlines. The longer you wait, the less likely you are to find the experience you want or help in funding that experience.

Planning an international experience means investigating the opportunities (those found on this website or others that you may identify on your own), making inquiries, networking, and finalizing projects and logistics.  Regardless of your stage in the process, if you plan to have an international experience related to your medical school studies, you should complete and submit a Global Health Experience Planning Form by February 1 of the year in which your experience will take place.  This is the first required form in the global health experience process.  It provides all Penn medical students with equal access to resources and can result in a reserved opportunity for you, pending your completion of all opportunity-specific requirements.  These requirements and full descriptions can be found on the webpage for Global Health Opportunities.   Please note that the Global Health Experience Planning Form is only the first step.  Once your project has been finalized, and before your departure, you must register your global health experience.

A special note on clinical activity:  MS1/2 students are not qualified for clinical activity in which they could be exposed to blood and body fluids.  Regardless of your year in medical school, you should never agree to engage in activities at a global health site that you would not be qualified for at Penn Medicine.  MS3/4 students who are qualified for clinical work must review PEP instructions and have reliable source of PEP drugs.

Applications for some opportunities will be somewhat complex.  Various types of documentation may be required.  Most frequently, these include: 

• immunizations (you can obtain a copy from the Student Health Service)
• personal health insurance (if you have student health insurance @ Penn, it provides worldwide coverage; the Student Health Service Insurance Office can provide a letter documenting that you are insured)
• malpractice insurance (in the Registrar area of Suite 100, request a letter of good standing that indicates the extent of your malpractice insurance coverage during the time of your international experience) 
  

Please review the table below (be sure to scroll down), listing opportunities in Africa, South Asia, Central America, South America, Asia, and Europe. You may click on each project to get more information about the opportunity and, if available, related funding opportunities.  N.B.:  Global Health experiences may result in risks to your health and safety.  You must always carefully review the U.S. State Department's consular information sheets for the country/ies you will be visiting and pay special attention to crime and security sections.  For example, many Penn students pursue experiences in Guatemala and these experiences can be very rewarding.  However, the crime rate in many areas of Guatemala is extremely high and, although these events are rare, Penn medical students have been victims of theft and assault. 

Please note that for the past several years, our most popular clinical experience has been the Botswana Sub-I.  Typically, demand is significantly higher than the number of available slots.  Placement is decided by lottery.  Therefore, if you are interested in the Botswana Sub-I, please consider other options as well.  In the table below, you will see a variety of clinical opportunities, many of which are offered in countries where English (Botswana, Ghana, Tanzania, India, Belize, England, and Ireland) or Spanish (Argentina, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, and Spain) is widely spoken.

You may also wish to check the Faculty Tab to get a glimpse of who is doing what in global health at Penn.  

Note:  When planning , please note that Global Health Program funding is not available for experiences shorter than four weeks.  In addition, it is not available to fund experiences in any location where there is a current State Department Travel Warning.

Global Health Experience Registration

All students who have planned a global health experience must complete a Global Health Experience Registration Form prior to leaving the USA.   This is the second required form.  It includes a detailed checklist (including a mandatory review of the essential information found on the Travel Page of this website) to help you prepare for your experience.  You should begin working on this a minimum of two months prior to your anticipated departure.   

Please note that your Registration Form will also be used by the Registrar to ensure that your official records are updated.  For Scholarly Pursuits that have an international component, in addition to the Global Health Experience Registration, you will need to meet the specific requirements of the Registrar. 

If you have questions about Scholarly Pursuit requirements, please contact the Registrar.  For all other questions, please contact Global Health Programs.

Travel Arrangements

You should seek the most economical fare possible, without building in side trips.  Some travel sites to try include: 

• Kayak
• Opodo  (you'll have to convert cost from British Pounds)
• Premier Tours
  

Penn Language Link

Penn Language Link is a group of medical, nursing and undergraduate students who provide volunteer interpreter services to patients with Limited English Proficiency throughout the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS).  Volunteers reduce cultural barriers to care, ensure effective doctor-patient communication, gain valuable clinical experience, and get to have a great time doing it. 

To become a Penn Language Link Interpreter, you must have fluency in the language.  Each prospective interpreter is interviewed in the relevant language by one of the current certified interpreters to ensure language fluency.  To volunteer, even if you are unsure about your language ability, please contact a coordinator (Nancy Etzel, Marc Hoffmann, or Gabriela Marein-Efron) who will arrange an assessment to determine if you will be able to help out.  Once selected, interpreters undergo a 16-hour certification program where they learn medical interpretation techniques and receive training in cross-cultural competency.  Upon completion of this program, volunteers are certified medical interpreters, ready for the hospital.  Those who speak more than one language only need to train once for certification in all relevant languages.

A Note on History:  Penn Language Link was founded in 1997 through the partnership of a University of Pennsylvania medical student named Joyce Lee, Dr. Steven Larson, Hilda Luiggi, and HUP’s Department of Patient and Guest Services.   Growth has been impressive -- the result of dedicated service by a number of special students.  Read more about it.

For additional information about Penn Language Link and their current projects, visit their website.

Learn Medical Spanish

Medical Spanish courses are offered free of charge by the School of Medicine during the fall and spring semesters.  The courses are taught in the evening by faculty from area universities who specialize in Medical Spanish.  Classes are offered at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels.  No prior Spanish knowledge is required to enroll in the beginning level.  Students wishing to enroll in the intermediate level course should have a working knowledge of basic Spanish language, grammar, as well as basic conversation skills, while advanced students should have conversational fluency as this course is conducted entirely in Spanish.  Format of the classes varies according to level.  The beginning course focuses on skills needed for basic doctor-patient communication, the intermediate course goal is to enhance vocabulary and refine the conversational skills needed in a medical context, and the advanced course aims to enable Spanish speakers to build the medical vocabulary needed to obtain a detailed medical history and perform a physical exam in various specialties.  The Medical Spanish course is coordinated by medical students who announce the schedule in the first two weeks of September.  Dr. Iris Reyes is the Faculty advisor and Mrs. Hilda Luiggi is the Academic Programs coordinator.  The student coordinator for the 2008-9 academic year is Ariana Flores.  Please contact Ariana for more information. 

Bridging the Gaps

Bridging the Gaps (BTG) is dedicated to providing service to underserved populations in the USA while training community responsive health and social service professionals. BTG seeks to provide meaningful service in a system of care that is often unresponsive to the needs of vulnerable populations, thus serving those who are most vulnerable in terms of health: those for whom services are often limited, difficult to access, or non-existent, and for whom significant health disparities exist. At the same time Bridging the Gaps teaches our future health professionals about the reciprocal connections among a community's socio-economic circumstances, the health care system, and the health of the population.  To learn more, visit the BTG website.        

Host an International Medical Student at Penn

Whether you are currently planning an international experience, have recently returned from one, or will engage in one some time in the future, hosting an international medical student is a positive way to reciprocate the hospitality you will no doubt experience in your travels. As a peer host, you will also develop another personal international contact.

Medical students from affiliated international institutions do clinical and/or research rotations here at Penn's School of Medicine. They are typically on campus for one to three months.

Peer hosts are Penn medical students who help visitors learn how to safely enjoy the campus and the city. They also provide social contacts for extracurricular activities.  They do not provide housing.  To facilitate your getting together, Global Health Programs can arrange to pay for a meal for you and your international guest.  If you are willing to serve as a peer host, please contact Global Health Programs. 

International Career Employment Weekly

The Global Health Programs Office has subscribed to a weekly online publication for the benefit of Penn medical students.  The International Career Employment Weekly reports on a wide variety of international opportunities -- from paid professional positions to programs that charge a fee for voluntary participation.  Whether you are ready for a career move or looking for a new global health experience, you should take a look at this journal.  You will need a PennKey to continue.  Please click here to enter your Penn Key for access instructions.

Last updated: June 18, 2009