Global Health Clinical Clerkships

of the fourth year, students participate in the Global Health Clinical Clerkship, an and

Eight-week elective clerkships in Global Health
The goal of the global health elective clerkship is to enable the advanced fourth- year medical student to experience the practice of medicine in an environment other than his/her own. This exposure allows for the practical application of theoretical knowledge to different cultural and ethnic groups while working under varied conditions affected by the economics, traditions, religious beliefs, limited resources and geography of the site. Additionally, valuable experience is gained by working with medical students from the host country and through participation in clinical work with local health practitioners.

To this end, the MSIH curriculum provides fourth-year medical students with up to two months to conduct global health-related elective clerkships in diverse locations around the world. Students who are nationals of different countries have different options available to them depending upon their citizenship and visa status, provisions of their educational loans, and availability of housing. The two-month elective period may include a student-identified elective opportunity at an approved host site anywhere in the world. This includes diverse sites within Israel and the United States. The option of a more structured, two-month elective in a lesser-developed region of the world is also available and consists of clinical rotations often with local students (and possibly one or two visiting students from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons) at local university teaching hospitals and rural primary healthcare centers. Students have the opportunity to present case reports describing interesting patients and conditions as they relate to global health issues. The Global Health (GH) electives take place between mid-January and mid-March during the fourth year of study at the Medical School for International Health.

Please note: applicants are advised that individual citizenship, visa and federal student loan status can affect their selection of global health elective sites. In addition, site availability is subject to change based on government guidelines and in accordance with MSIH’s annual review of local security conditions, travel advisories. The MSIH is absolutely committed to ensuring that each student receives an interesting, educational and challenging Global Health experience.

MSIH-Affiliated Global Health elective sites in the developing world

As noted above, the MSIH provides numerous opportunities depending upon the students’ nationality and interests. For those able to participate in the MSIH’s structured, supervised, two-month clinical clerkships, electives may be taken in a university-approved hospital and/or clinic in a less-developed region of the world. Based upon annual assessments of security conditions and availability of on-site clinical supervisors, the MSIH’s institutional affiliations have afforded global health elective opportunities at the following locations:

• Addis Ababa University Medical Faculty, Ethiopia
• Christian Medical College in Vellore, India
• Mahatma, Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, India
• Moi University Faculty of Health Sciences in Eldoret, Kenya

• B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Nepal

• Urban and Amazon River clinics in Peru
• Universidad Nacional De la Amazonia, Peruana, Iquitos, Peru
• Faculty of Medical & Allied Sciences Saliyapura, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

• College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
• Thai Nguyen Medical College, Vietnam

These clerkships, under the supervision of an academic coordinator from the host university, consist of a two-month clinical rotation (with local students) at a university teaching hospital and/or a community health center, combined with supervised case report presentations.

Fourth-year students from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons may apply for
electives at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Faculty of Health Sciences.

Fourth-year students from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons may also apply, on a space-available basis, to participate in the eight-week, global health clinical clerkships of the Medical School for International Health. Sites for the 2013 clerkships include supervised sites in Canada, Israel, India, and Sri Lanka.  $2500 travel grants, applicable to the clerkships, are available to P&S students.

For more information, and to receive an application, please contact Alice Mahoney, Admissions and  Electives Coordinator, at am837@columbia.edu or at 212-305-9587.

View the P&S flyer for the 2013 Global Health clerkships.