Evolution in Trainee Participation in Global Health

Global health rotations have become a common experience at early levels of medical training. Most allopathic medical schools have formal elective rotations abroad for interested third- and fourth-year students [ 1 Drain P.K. Primack A. Hunt D.D. Fawzi W.W. Holmes K.K. Gardner P. Global health in medical education: a call for more training and opportunities. Acad Med. 2007; 82: 226-230 Crossref PubMed Scopus (339) Google Scholar ]. Many resident physicians and fellows continue to pursue these opportunities during their training, and recent trends in curriculum organization have made this even more possible. Previous authors in the field of global health literature have advocated that these service-learning experiences provide invaluable benefits to both trainees and their in-country counterparts. The physicians-in-training often gain increased independent practice skills, exposure to unique presentations of diseases, and cultural awareness. Meanwhile, hosting institutions benefit from the enthusiasm and encouragement of visiting teams, increased work output, and educational support. The establishment of these relationships between trainees and host sites can serve as a foundation for long-term projects and collaboration [ 2 Davis M. Culp M.P. Dixon R. Mzumara S. Radiology and global health: interprofessional collaboration in educational initiatives. J Am Coll Radiol. 2015; 12: 960-964 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar , 3 Ramírez-Arias J. Rodríguez-Treviño C. González-Vergara C. The challenge of radiology education in developing countries. Biomed Imaging Interv J. 2008; 4: e2 Crossref PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar ].