HCMC Global Health Pathway

boat navigating waters

Beginning in 2006, HCMC residents began participation in the Global Health Pathway. This is an opportunity to learn in depth about issues of international medicine especially in the developing world. The pathway consists of a number of components, including conferences, clinical oppor-tunities here and abroad, research opportunities, mentorship and a diploma course in tropical medicine and hygiene.

In conjunction with the University of Minnesota, HCMC residents can participate in the Global Health Course during their elective time. During these two months, they attend lectures and become eligible to sit for a certificate in tropical medicine and hygiene.

For more information, see:

http://www.globalhealth.umn.edu/

Conferences

There are a multitude of international health conferences now coordinated across the city with many residency programs. These conferences focus on tropical medicine, immigrant health and global health disparities. There are also clinical experiences and electives locally with immigrant and refugee patients, both here at HCMC in our immigrant clinics and at other sites in town, including public health clinics and refugee coordinating centers. These experiences are open to all residents regardless of choosing the pathway.

nursing students in community clinic

Research

Another aspect of HCMC's Global Health Pathway is the opportunity to do research of a number of varieties. Locally residents can work in infectious disease labs focusing on tropical medicine. There are also many opportunities for clinical research in immigrant communities. Some of this clinical research is in infectious disease, especially HIV/ AIDs , tuberculosis and tropical disease. Other research involves issues facing immigrants such as acculturation, access to care, and health disparities.

clinic setting

Furthermore there are research opportunities with community partner-ships, developing and evaluating programs to improve health in immigrants and refugees, such as diabetes care in Somalis and HIV education in African immigrants.

There are also research opportunities abroad with our partner institutions in India, Costa Rica and other countries. Previous residents have: developed an enteric fever algorithm for India, analyzed a community nutrition intervention program in a Bangalore slum and surveyed the providers of dialysis in Malaysia.

Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Health (DTM&H)

In partnership with the CDC a diploma course in tropical medicine is being developed in the Twin Cities coordinated by the U of M. HCMC is one of the key clinical sites and is providing many of the faculty. This course will be open to residents free of charge to HCMC residents during their training, with the intention that they could sit for the exams after having completed the Global Health Pathway and the diploma course. The course will be offered in the fall of each year.

 

Working in a clinic setting

Travel Abroad

HCMC has strong collaborative partnerships with a number of universities outside of the US. Key among these are St. Johns in Bangalore, India and UCIMED in Costa Rica. Residents are able to do clinical and/or research rotations at these and other sites during electives in residency.

International Mentorship

A number of HCMC faculty have careers with work both in the US and abroad. These faculty are terrific mentors as people consider international careers. Many faculty mentors practice intentionally in collaboration with immigrant/refugee communities. Also available are our international faculty partners at sites around the world. Researchers in India mentor our residents through clinical research projects. Former graduates and faculty work in Laos, Costa Rica, Guatemala, India, Madagascar and the Sudan as well as with Doctors Without Borders and Doctors for Human Rights. These physicians are eager

mentors via e-mail and in-country.

Immigrant/Refugee Health

HCMC has a large population of immigrants and refugees (nearly 40%). We have clinics in Somali, Russian and Spanish as well as an interpreter staff of over 40 full time, medical interpreters. HCMC has many opportunities to treat immigrant patients as well as work with immigrant and refugee health programs focusing on areas such as HIV/ AIDs, health literacy, cancer, mental health and domestic violence.

Resident Experience

  • Teresa Anderson-Barrera  presented “Health Literacy in Spanish Speaking Immigrants” at the Tropical
    and Travel Medicine meeting in London, September 2007
  • Shuli Bonham elective in Aurvedic medicine and yoga in India, 2007
  • Milind Junghare elective in tropical nephrology in Chang Mai, Thailand, 2007
  • Oge Alozie elective in HIV/Cardiology in Nigeria
  • Brett Carlson elective in cardiology education in Ghana and Ivory Coast 2006
  • Edwin Bogonko elective in cardiology education in Ghana and Ivory Coast 2006
  • Stefan Collinet-Adler presented his research "Malaria in Minneapolis" at the International Travel Medicine meeting in London, November 2005
  • Ashley Newberry published in Chest, "Disseminated Strongyloides," 2005
  • Jonathon Kirsh published in Lancet, "Informed consent for family planning for poor women in

Chiapas, Mexico" in conjunction with Doctors for Human Rights, 1999

  • Sarah Kesler currently in Darfur, Sudan with Doctors Without Borders
  • Rosemary Quirk, program director of first Internal Medicine residency in Laos

Faculty Experience

  • Julia Grigoriev hospital medicine education and care delivery Philippines 1/2008
  • Melody Mendiola medical support of surgical care team, Philippines 1/2008
  • Kevin Larsen faculty- Advancements in Medicine 2007, A US & Caribbean Perspective, Jamaica, 2/2007, 2/2008
  • Thomas Stillman visiting professor UCIMED, Costa Rica 2007

  • Martin Stillman and Thomas Stillman, school building in Kenya 2007

  • David Williams, Scott Davies, Carmen Divertie, and Kevin Larsen invited speakers -  XIV Congreso Nacional y XXVIII Curso Internacional de Medicina Interna, Sociedad Peruana de Medicina Interna, Lima, Perú, 10/2006.

  • Anne Pereira, Mark Sprenkle and Shawn Mallory visiting professors, UCIMED, Costa Rica 2006

  • James Leatherman visiting professor St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India 2005

Professors Visiting HCMC:

  • Hernando González, UCIMED, Costa Rica, 7/2006, 7/2007
  • Manuel Montoya, Universidad de Hospital Regional, Cusco, Perú 7/2007

International Partners
HCMC partners with the University of San Antonio Abad and the Hospital Regional of Cusco, Peru. Through this partnership Dr. Manuel Montoya has developed teaching cases with questions and photographs.
See Global Cases.