Preventive Medicine & Community Health
International Medicine Training Program for NJMS Students
1. Project leader and email address:
G. Reza Najem M.D., MPH., Ph.D., FACPM
Professor of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology
Director, Division of General Preventive Medicine and International Health
UMDNJ-NJMS & SPH najem@umdnj.edu
2. Brief statement of mission and/or vision: It seems clear that increasing numbers of American medical personnel will be required in the coming decades to become involved in the international medical care systems. T he mission of this project is to educate the medical students toward the international theme of the World Health Organization “Health for All”.
• Objective: The overall objective of this project is to expose medical students to the medical care system, clinical clerkships, public health problems and their intervention programs in the selected countries.
3. Faculty Collaborators: G. Reza Najem, M.D., MPH, Ph.D. is the Director and Coordinator of the program. Many faculty members collaborate and share their experiences in the International Medicine seminar course. They include: Sultan Ahmed, MD, Stephen Baker, MD, Arthur Fost, MD, Cheryl Kennedy, MD, Donald B. Louria MD, G. Reza Najem, MD, MPH, Ph.D., James Oleske, MD, Lee Reichman, MD, MPH, Jiang-Hong Ye, MD.
4. Specific aims and activities: T wo electives have been offered to medical students in this project for over 15 years:
a. International Medicine Seminar Elective Course: This course, offered to first and second year medical students during fall semester of each academic year. The course presents a picture of medical care problems and their intervention programs in selected countries from the perspective of their physicians or American physicians who have worked in that country. Selected countries include: Thailand, China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Bosnia, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. Topics covered in the course include: Global AIDS and Tuberculosis, Medical Relief in Vietnam, Health Information for International Traveling, Global Health Problems and their Intervention Programs, AIDS in Russia and Cuba, Indigenous and Traditional Healers, and Medical Students' Experiences in International Medicine Clerkship.
b. International Medicine Clinical Clerkship Elective Abroad: This clerkship, offered to third and fourth year medical students through-out academic year. This elective abroad is culture and religion sensitive to the selected countries. Therefore, t he students are encouraged to read about culture, custom, and religion of the selected country prior to traveling. While in the country and interacting with the local people and patients, the students to be familiar, sensitive and appropriate toward cultural and religion value system of the local people for the purpose of health promotion, disease prevention and patient care.
Medical students, with the help of the Program Director's guidance, can select a country from a list of countries or a country of their interest that the students find themselves. The students will then apply to that country for acceptance and to obtain the daily program schedule. After the students find a country and the International Medicine Program Director approves it, then the a uthorization of health and liability insurance coverage and clearance by the Office of the Registrar and Office of Risk and Claim Management has been required for all International Medicine Electives. Students must complete all the above stated requirements for the International Medicine Clinical Clerkship Elective abroad . Dr. Najem has provided health information for students' international traveling prior to their departure.
Partial list of the countries that 3rd and 4th years medical student have taken are provided in the following table.
PARTIAL LIST OF COUNTRIES FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICINE CLERKSHIP ELECTIVE
| CITY |
COUNTRY |
HOSPITAL AND/OR CLINIC |
| San Jose |
Costa Rica |
Hospital de los Ninos (Childrens Hospital) |
| Quetzaltenango |
Guatemala |
Community Hospital |
| Fontaniva (Padova) |
Italy |
Medico di Medicina Generale |
| Cairo |
Egypt |
Shams University Hospital |
| Cape Town |
South Africa |
Vanguard Day Clinic, Heideveld Day Clinic, Somerset Hospital |
| Mumbai |
India |
Wockhardt Hospital |
| India |
Internal Medicine-Leprosy Clinic |
|
| Otovalo |
Ecuador |
Indigenous Traditional Medicine and Allopathic Medicine |
| Gujarat |
India |
Balaji Hospital |
| Taipei |
Taiwan |
51 st International Federation of Medical Student Associations (IFMSA) |
| Kaohsiung |
Taiwan |
Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kao-Hsing Medical University |
| Queretaro |
Mexico |
Community Hospital |
| Chengdu |
China |
West China University of Medical Sciences |
| Cairo |
Egypt |
Children Hospital |
| New Delhi |
India |
Apollo Hospital |
| Cuenca |
Ecuador |
Medical Student Exchange Program |
| Amazon Region |
Ecuador |
Mondana Clinic, Funedesin Community Health Rotation Program |
| Yunnan |
Southwest China |
Medical Service International, China HealthCare System |
| Rio de Janeiro |
Brazil |
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Ob/Gyn) |
| Havana |
Cuba |
Consultorio Medico Policlinico |
| Victoria |
Australia |
University of Melbourne |
| Belfast |
Northern Ireland |
Royal Victoria Hospital |
| Goias |
Brazil |
Hospital General Santa Casa de Misericordia |
| Bangalore |
India |
St. John's Medical College |
| Kashmir |
India |
Subsidiary Health Center |
| San Cristobal |
Venezuela |
Operation Smile |
| Galmi |
Nigeria |
Galmi Hospital |
| London |
England |
|
| Rome |
Italy |
|
| Geneva |
Switzerland |
World Health Organization |
*The list of selected countries has been compiled over the years by the Program Director from the published sources such as American Medical Student Association (AMSA), personal and students search of websites and other sources.
5. Medical Students Performance Evaluation in the International Medicine Clerkship: The student's performance evaluation in the International Medicine Clinical Clerkship Elective consists of two parts: (1) Evaluation of the medical student by the physician preceptor who supervises the student's performance abroad. (2) Dr. Najem's evaluation consists of the review of the student's preceptor evaluation and the student's detailed written report of his/her experiences and performance in the selected country and completion of the following form upon their return.
INTERNATIONAL MEDICINE CLERKSHIP ELECTIVE (PMCH 9033) FORM
Student's Name:
Address:
Telephone No.:
E-mail Address:
Date of Elective:
Address of international site for this elective:
Name, title, and address of your supervisor (Preceptor) or attending physician:
Name and address of the hospital or clinic:
Name and address of the organization involved in arranging this elective:
Was there any fee? Yes [ ] No [ ]
If yes, how much?
Please write a detailed report of the International Medicine Elective and your learning experience.
Please attach your detailed report and your preceptor's evaluation of your performance with this form. Your International Medicine Elective grade will be based on your report and your preceptor's evaluation. (Your report will be used as a guideline for other medical students.)
How do you evaluate this elective?
Please describe the procedures of finding this elective as a guideline for other medical students if they want to apply for the same International Medicine elective.
(Please return this form with your written report and your clerkship preceptor's evaluation of your performance to: G. Reza Najem, M.D., MSB, Room F-516, upon your return.)
6. Funding:
• The Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health provided partial funding for students who took the International Medicine Clerkship in Nicaragua during the 1980's.
• This project was funded four times by one year grants by New Jersey State Department of Higher Education, 1986-1991.
• The New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) Alumni Association provided international medicine partial s cholarships to medical students who took the International Medicine Clinical Clerkship Elective abroad, 1998-Present.
The 3rd and 4th years medical students can apply for International Medicine Scholarship Application. A sample of the International Medicine Scholarship Application Form is provided below. The students can obtain the Scholarship Application Form from NJMS Student Affairs Office. The students' scholarship application forms are reviewed by the NJMS International Medicine Funding Committee during their annual meeting in November of each year . Some of the students' application for scholarship will be accepted by the committee. The scholarship pays for some of the students' travel expenses. The balance of the students' expenses will be paid by the students themselves. These students and all other students apply for International Medicine 3 rd and 4 th Year Elective.
Please note the majority of medical students do not receive any scholarship and must support themselves during the International Medicine Clinical Clerkship. The number of medical students taking this Clerkship has increased remarkably over the years.
Alumni Association of New Jersey Medical School
Grant Application for International Study (2004-2005)
Name: _______________________________________
Year: _______________________________________
Address: _______________________________________
_______________________________________
Phone: _______________________________________
Email: _______________________________________
Cell Phone: _______________________________________
Current passport? [ ] Yes [ ] No
Country of issuance: ________________________________
Proposed site(s) facility/program name: __________________
Address: ________________________________________
Telephone: ________________________________________
Fax: ________________________________________
Email: ________________________________________
Name and title of sponsor(s) abroad: _____________________
Proposed dates: From: ______To: __________
Additional documentation needed (please attach):
• Detailed description of the proposed project, daily activities and goals.
• Previous experience relevant to proposed study (i.e. course work, travel abroad).
• Description of career goals and the relevance of this project to them.
• A detailed budget (include trip funding from other grants, awards, scholarships).
• Evidence of familiarity with the language and culture of the proposed site.
• Written approval of sponsor abroad.
By signing this application, I attest to an understanding that the awarding of UMDNJ funds to support my participation in an international elective does not in any way imply responsibility, support or endorsement for any such program in which I participate. I release and hold harmless UMDNJ, and the Alumni Association of New Jersey Medical School, their employees, faculty and agents from any and all liability which may arise from my travel, lodging, or participation in such program.
Additionally, this sum (grant money) will be reimbursed after successful completion of the international study and follow-up requirements.
___________________________________________
Signature of applicant
____________________________
Date
In the event that your trip cannot be completed due to circumstances beyond your control, the Alumni Association will make every effort to compensate you for out of pocket expenses up to the amount of the award.
7. Publications from project :
Najem GR. A model for offering international medicine course for U.S. medical students: The 13 years experience of New Jersey Medical School. Journal of National Medical Association 1999; 91:573-577.
Najem GR, Okuzu EIO. International comparison of medical students' perception of HIV infection and AIDS. J Natl Med Assoc 1998;90:765-774.
8. Related website: http://www.umdnj.edu/~najem/
9. Opportunities for students: Over the past 17 years more than 500 medical students have taken the International Medicine Elective Seminar Course and the International Medicine Clinical Clerkship Elective abroad . The number of medical students taking these courses has increased substantially over the years. It is the Project Director's objective to offer similar programs to UMDNJ-School of Public Health students.
10. Opportunities for volunteers: Opportunities are available for volunteers to collaborate in this project. The volunteers could be faculties to participate in the teaching of the International Medicine seminar course or staff to communicate with the students abroad and follow-up their program or to provide secretarial work for this project.
11. Hidden text and keywords: international medicine seminar course; overseas clerkship.
Date revised: 3/30/05
Academic year 2005-2006
For further information contact Dr. Reza Najem, Program Director at najem@umdnj.edu or (973) 972-4778.