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Introduction to Global Health Principles (1 credit)

MDID 6500 - Medical Students
PEDS 5500 - Undergraduate students
PEDS 6500 - Graduate students (non-MD)

This 1-credit course is designed for medical students, graduate students and undergraduate students who are interested in a broad overview of global health. Designed as an introduction to global health, this course has strong public & community health focus and complements additional global health courses available to medical students (Preparation for Global Health Service & Learning, MDID 6510) and senior medical students (Global Medicine, MDID 6530). Clinical training or experience is not required to take this course.

Public Health Perspective on Surgery in the Global Context (3 credits)

PBHLT5520

Understanding the link between population health and specialty/sub-specialty medical care is a critical component aspect of public health.  This course uses principles of surgical care in the developing world to illustrate the integration of this type of medical practice and public health.  The instructors of this course bring together expertise in the fields of surgery and public health to provide a rich educational experience that focuses on the delicate balance of individual- and pupulation-level care.

Preparation for Global Health Service & Learning (1 credit)

MDID 6510 - Medical Students
PED 5510 - Non-Medical Students
PED 6510 - Graduate students (non-MD)

Service-learning activities in low-resource international settings can come with great challenges for the individual learner as well as the host and the sending institutions. Students involved in clinical care, research or community development efforts frequently encounter ethical, logistical, security or health issues. Furthermore, it is not unusual for students to struggle with the question of how to approach global health efforts in the “right” way. While there is no correct answer to this question, there are many examples of well-intentioned global health activities which led to undesirable or harmful outcomes. Adequate planning, preparation and oversight are necessary to complete a successful global health experience. This course promotes an ethics-based approach to help minimize undue burdens on students and the sending and host institutions, prevent negative effects on patients and/or communities, improve the quality and sustainability of the experience for other students and to bring benefits to institutions as well as trainees. This course will introduce students to a structured approach to and the necessary resources for planning and participating in an ethically-guided service-learning experience in an international setting.

Maternal & Newborn Survival:  Theory to Practice (3 credits)

MDID 6515 (Medical Students only)
PEDS 6515 (Open to Nursing Students)

Each year, approximately 4 million neonates under the age of 28 days and nearly 400,000 women die from complications related to pregnancy, labor and delivery and the postpartum period. Many of these deaths could be averted if these women and infants had universal access to a skilled provider who is able to provide basic maternal and newborn services such as a clean delivery environment, basic newborn resuscitation and recognition of medical complications requiring referral to a higher level of clinical care. This course is designed for medical students who desire to meld the theoretical knowledge related to maternal-child health obtained from online learning with the practical, hands-on skills acquired by completing structured Master Trainer workshops related to the care of the newborn and mother.

Students will be required to complete two online learning certificates related to neonatal and maternal health in addition to two of the following Master Trainer workshops: Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), Essential Care for Every Baby (ECEB), Essential Care of the Small Baby (ECSB), and Helping Mothers Survive-Bleeding after Birth (HMS). Upon completion of the course, students will obtain 3 elective course credits.

Global Health Mentored Scholarly Elective (2-8 credits)

MDID 6520

This elective is for MSI-MSIV students who pursue research projects in settings outside of U.S. borders. Students identify a UUSOM faculty mentor and an on-site mentor (may be the same as UU mentor) who are engaged in global health research and take responsibility for some aspect of that research. Research activities may be related to laboratory, public health or clinical sciences. For academic credit, this elective must be approved by the Assistant Dean of Global Health Education prior to registration.

Global Medicine (1 credit)

MDID 6530 (Medical Students only)

This course is designed for senior medical students and therefore has a strong clinical focus with an emphasis on low-resource settings. This course complements and builds on additional global health courses available to medical students (Introduction to Global Health Principles, MDID 6500) and (Preparation for Global Health Service & Learning, MDID 6510).

Global Health Clinical Elective (2-8 credits)

MDID 6540

This elective is for medical students who are MSIII and MSIV medical students and may be individualized to meet the expectations of the student & might include work in an inpatient or outpatient setting at a site outside of U.S. borders. Students will work in an inpatient or outpatient setting in an international location under the direction of a clinical preceptor.  Students can choose from one of our partner sites or develop their own elective.  Current partner sites include:

  • Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
  • University of Rwanda College of Medicine, University Teaching Hospital of Butare, Rwanda
  • Penang Medical College, Penang, Malaysia

Students pursuing electives outside of our formal partner sites will be responsible for identifying an on-site mentor who is qualified to provide student supervision and agrees to do so. Independent sites must be approved by the Assistant Dean of Global Health Education prior to registration.

Global Public Health in Ghana (4-5 credits)

PBHLT 6531

This 4-5 credit elective led by international faculty places medical students, graduate students and undergraduate students in an international setting to engage in public health research and community development. Current international sites include Kumasi, Ghana. Under the direction of faculty course directors from Utah and Ghana, University of Utah students collaborate with students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology – School of Medical Sciences as they undertake a variety of projects.