Faculty Bibliography

Program/Project Purpose: The New York University School of Medicine (NYUSOM) has been engaging medical students in global health across their years in medical school through its' International Health Program (IHP) since 2002. All students in good academic standing are supported to participate in culturally meaningful and socially relevant research in any location that meets US State Department safe travel advisories. Students can also participate in self-funded clinical rotations. The program aims to increase the cultural competency of medical graduates as they enter the workforce to serve an increasingly diverse patient population. Our assumption was that IHP participants would have increased cultural competency, increased engagement with underserved populations, and increased incorporation of global health in their career paths. Structure/Method/Design: To understand the impact of this program we conducted a simple cross-sectional cohort study of graduates of the program from 2002 to 2012. Survey questions included demographic data as well as subjective impact of the IHP program on their residency and career choices. Outcome & Evaluation: We received 49 responses out of 213 surveys distributed by email to past participants of the IHP. Analysis of the data showed that international experiences later in medical school, rather than earlier, had a higher impact on career plans (mean of 2.70 verses mean of 2.00). Moreover, electives with both research and clinical components positively impacted career plans. Clinical rotations appeared to have slightly more impact on cultural competency than research rotations (mean of 3.82 verses mean of 3.39). Students who had not studied abroad previously (n = 24) reported that IHP had a greater impact on cultural competence, commitment to global health, and commitment to caring for the under-served than those who had previously studied abroad (n = 24). Going Forward: International heath experiences for medical students appear to have a significant impact on career paths as well as improving cultural competency. These findings can potentially benefit human resources for health by increasing US graduates long-term engagement in global public health and for working with underserved populations. We feel there is also strong argument for supporting first time international experiences for medical students