Goals of the Global Health Pathway Residency Track
- Improve healthcare to immigrants, refugees and travelers
- Develop clinical or academic career in global health for residents/interns.
- Expanding residents/interns understanding of under-represented diseases
- Increase competence of care in a multicultural society
- Assist residents/interns in pursuing careers in underserved communities
- Build local, national and international community collaborations
Global Health Pathway Description
The Global Health Pathway residency track is open to current UMN Internal Medicine or Med-Peds residents/interns. Those in the Pathway benefit with priority scheduling for international rotations and continuity clinic, priority for any available stipends for international rotations, the ability to be connected with a mentor in global health, and also the participation in the ePortfolio evaluation system for career advancement.
Opportunities for those enrolled in the Pathway include the following:
- Participate in Tropical and Travel Medicine Seminars and other Twin Cities & campus conferences
- Participate in a Continuity Clinic serving migrant populations
- Participate in local and international electives
- Complete an academic project/scholarly activity during residency
- Take the 8-week ASTMH Global Health Course as an elective rotation at no cost (during or within 6 months of residency), which is a prerequisite to taking the ASTMH examination leading to a Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine & Travelers’ Health. The University of Minnesota is one of thirteen ASTMH-approved prerequisite courses worldwide as part of the Diploma Course Pathway.
A total of 25 Internal Medicine, Medicine-Pediatrics, or Pediatrics residents have participated in either half (4 weeks) or the entire 8-weeks of the Global Health Course, and have demonstrated interest in a career involving work in international health.
ASTMH Global Health Course is part of the Global Health Pathway residency track. The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) is one of the primary organizations worldwide that represents scientists and clinicians concerned with the prevention, treatment and control of tropical diseases. Since 1996, ASTMH has offered a certificate examination that assesses and recognizes individual excellence in training and knowledge. Passing this examination leads to a Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ Health. The next ASTMH Certificate of Knowledge will be held on December 6, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Purpose of the ASTMH Examination
- To facilitate individual professional development in the practice of clinical tropical medicine and travelers’ health.
- To serve the public by enhancing the quality of patient care in these fields.
- To establish nationally recognized standards of knowledge.
- To recognize in a formal manner individuals who, after training and passing the examination, meet the ASTMH standard of excellence in knowledge and experiences in clinical tropical medicine and travelers’ health.
The 2006 Global Health Course had a total of sixty participants. Eighteen of the UMN residents/interns and med students who took the entire Course took the ASTMH exam in November 2006; 100% of those in the Pathway successfully passed the exam (the national pass rate was 52%). The Minnesota Global Health Course is unique among ASTMH prep sites in that it allows UMN residents to take the course free of charge as part of their residency track. In addition, non-UMN residents were allowed to take the Course half price. Ten of our participants were originally from developing countries and are International Medical Graduates (IMGs); we granted a special half-price tuition rate to these participants.
A total of 25 UMN Internal Medicine, Medicine-Pediatrics, and Pediatrics residents took either one block (4 weeks) of the course or the entire 8-week course. Approximately half of the class consisted of current UMN residents/interns in Internal Medicine, Medicine-Pediatrics, or Pediatrics. Additionally, one 4th year UMN medical student participated. We had six international visiting faculty members, who also attended the course as well as lectured on their given areas of expertise—one each from Cambodia, Brazil, Uganda, Tanzania, India, and Thailand; three of these stayed for the entire course while the others stayed between a week and a month in Minnesota. Four graduate students (from UMN Schools of Public Health and Nursing) participated, one of whom is an MD originally from Afghanistan.
The class represented a diverse range of interests and experiences, from Minnesota physicians and nurse practitioners/physician assistants currently in practice, to international medical graduates (IMGs) with several years of experience in developing countries. All participants have had significant exposure to international health care, either in the US or abroad.
Rotation Opportunities:
Local rotation sites: Community University Health Care Centers
(CUHCC) HealthPartners Center for International Health:
International Rotation Sites are currently available in India, Tanzania, Thailand, and Uganda. New sites are being considered while existing sites are being strengthened. Attached is a table detailing the international rotation activities of residents between 2000-2006.
India. Site Coordinator: Kumar Belani.
Bangalore & Manipal/Mangalore, India: St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Medical Sciences, Manipal Hospital.
Tanzania. Site Coordinator: William Stauffer.
Arusha, Tanzania: Selian Lutheran Hospital.
Thailand. Site Coordinator: Patricia Walker.
Chiang Mai, Thailand: Chiang Mai University.
Uganda. Site Coordinator: David Boulware.
Kampala, Uganda: Makerere University—Infectious Diseases Institute & Mulago National Hospital.
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