Global Health
BCRP Global Child Health Opportunities
Multiple faculty at Boston Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital collaborate with global partners to improve health equity and increase capacity for healthcare in a variety of countries and contexts. The BCRP offers opportunities to engage with a community focused on the importance of global health equity, and to participate in high-quality opportunities for meaningful global health experiences. We strive to create an interprofessional community of learners in global health with residents often joining nursing and physician fellows in global health. Learn more about the Margaret C. Ryan Global Heath Program at Boston Children’s here.
There are three major components for residents with varying degrees of interest in global health:
- Global health electives at supervised and partner international sites with pre-departure preparation and post-travel debriefing can be arranged by interested BCRP residents. Unfortunately at this time these opportunities are only available to BCRP residents and cannot be arranged for residents from other programs. Longstanding partners that welcome residents are listed below. Residents with specific prior global health partnerships or career interests may apply to rotate at alternate global elective sites with mentorship approval.
- JFK Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia with either an inpatient or outpatient track.
- For the inpatient track the JFKMC has inpatient, ER/Critical Care and NICU units. Residents can pick a unit and work there for the duration of the rotation or they can have an experience across units.
- For the outpatient track residents can attend morning report and then work in general pediatric and subspecialty clinics. There are opportunities to develop patient education materials and clinical standards for different common pathologies, as well as opportunities to participate in community based programs targeting adolescent mental health, reproductive health and school attendance in the rural county.
- Indigenous Health Care elective in the Great Plains. Several Indian Health Services clinical sites are staffed by BCH faculty from the Global Health Program. Two welcome residents, including:
- Cheyenne River Health Center (Eagle Butte, SD):
- Serves a rural community of 15,000 tribal members, primarily the Oceti Ŝakowiŋ (Lakota, Dakota, Nakota tribes).
- Facilities include an 8-bed inpatient unit, emergency room, expanded outpatient department, dental, community health department, and a full array of ancillary support services.
- Quentin Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility (Belcourt, ND):
- Home to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
- Serves a catchment area of 14,500 tribal citizens.
- Cheyenne River Health Center (Eagle Butte, SD):
- JFK Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia with either an inpatient or outpatient track.
- The BCRP Global Health Academy offers residents opportunities to engage with global health curricula through Academy afternoons and journal clubs, with mentorship by faculty from across BCH and BMC who are engaged in bidirectional global health partnerships, and global health project opportunities. This is open to all residents as an Academy regardless of prior global health experience. Session content is learner-driven with focus on equity and partnerships in global health, skills such as grant writing, and networking with global health faculty at BCH and BMC, as well as global-health institutions in Boston and internationally. For more information reach out to the Academy and Pathway co-directors: Christiana Russ, MD , Geoffrey Guenther, MD, MPH and Mary Mottla, MD, MPH.
- The BCRP Global Health Scholars Pathway is limited to up to 4 participants per year who have specific aspirations for careers in pediatric global health. Pathway Residents may be from Categorical or LEAD tracks, but may not be in blended subspecialty tracks given scheduling constraints, with the exception of Peds-Neurology which also has a global health track. Incoming interns are selected in May prior to starting residency. In addition to joining the Global Health Academy sessions and leading journal clubs, the Pathway provides mentorship for global health careers, flexibility in call-free elective time, scheduling support to attend an annual Global Health Clinical Skills course, and funding for global travel and projects in both the junior and senior year. Pathway residents are expected to engage in scholarly work and present their progress at the end of senior year. For more information reach out to the Academy and Pathway co-directors: Christiana Russ, MD, Geoffrey Guenther, MD, MPH and Mary Mottla, MD, MPH. Learn more about the BCRP Global Scholars Pathway here.
Additional Global Health Resources through Boston Children’s Hospital
Global Health Clinical Skills Course
BCRP residents are invited to participate in many of the sessions offered for BCH Global Pediatric Fellows during a clinical skills week each year. The course is run by multidisciplinary faculty from across Harvard, and includes didactics, case based teaching, and hands on skills workshops to teach learners practical management of common illnesses and tropical diseases affecting children in low income countries.
BMC International Health Clinics
Boston Medical Center has an International Refugee Clinic, Travel Clinic and Tuberculosis Clinic. Residents have the opportunity to rotate through these clinics during their elective time.
