University of Virginia Health System

International Health

Based on its founding principle that health is a universal human value, the UVa Center for Global Health (CGH) is dedicated to addressing the health of the disadvantaged and alleviating the diseases of poverty. The Center builds on the University's history of sustained international collaboration, a uniquely interactive contiguity of schools and departments, and the Jeffersonian tradition of global vision, and is committed to excellence in service, research, training and education. Opportunities for travel, study, and research in international health are available to undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students through a variety of programs. We have opportunities for residents in both international research and clinical electives. Our current collaborations are with sites in Brazil, Ghana, China, Phillipines, Bangladesh, South Africa, Mexico, Tanzania, Haiti, and Guatemala.

Some Examples of Opportunities for Medicine Residents . . .

• Longitudinal Clinical Elective Sites

The Department of Medicine is committed to ethical, longitudinal relationships with our international host communities. To that end, we are prioritizing three international sites: Thohoyandou (South Africa), Saipan (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), and the Lake Atitlan region of Guatemala (Central America). We plan to send residents to these sites regularly for clinical electives. During the elective, we are confident that the residents will have an opportunity to learn about diseases relevant to the local population, to experience a different health-care system, and to discover a new culture in a safe, appropriately supervised environment. In addition, we expect that residents will take the opportunity to attend and give teaching conferences that enhance the academic environment at our partner sites. Residents also have the opportunity to give a presentation about their experience to the UVa Department of Medicine upon their return. (Please see below for descriptions and pictures from the first residents to spend an elective at these sites.) Because these sites have been pre-approved by faculty members in the Department of Medicine, the arrangement of clinical electives and the approval through the Graduate Medical Education Committee is facilitated.

In the coming years, we hope that residents will identify, in conjunction with their host country supervisors, research and/or quality improvement projects. These projects will provide excellent research and evaluation experience for our residents and their colleagues overseas, and the projects will help to respond to pertinent health issues in our host communities.

• Global Health Curriculum

To improve our residents' preparations for global health experiences, the Department of Medicine is collaborating with the Department of Family Medicine to create an International and Refugee Health Track with funding from HRSA. This track will be available for the 2009-2010 incoming class. In addition, a Global Health elective with intensive training in tropical medicine and global health issues will be offered by Drs. Dillingham, Chris Moore, and Kristine Peterson beginning in January 2010. In addition to indepth exposure to international medicine and the study of tropical disease, residents also have the opportunity to work in a Traveler's ID clinic as well as the International Family Medicine Clinic which serves foreign refugees brought to the U.S. by the Charlottesville International Rescue Committee.

• Global Health Scholar Awards
Applications and deadline updates are available on the CGH site.

Established in 2001, this program encourages UVa students to work across school disciplines on an aspect of health and the diseases of poverty. Issues range from basic to social sciences, bioethics and education, to engineering and policy. Travel awards to support research projects (typically in the $1,000 - $3,000 range) are granted on a competitive basis. To promote interdisciplinary work, applications are made in concert with two mentors, one from the student's home department and one from outside the student's home department or school. Selection criteria include excellence of the proposed project, evidence of mentor involvement, and relevance to important health issues of impoverished populations. Scholars may explore new collaborations or existing connections between the University and Brazil, China, Ghana, South Africa, Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Mexico, Haiti, and the Philippines and will work in an impoverished area for a minimum of 6 weeks. Award recipients are expected to seek academic credit for their projects with a faculty mentor, produce a final product by the end of the following semester, and make a presentation in a public forum.

• Pfizer-CGH Scholar Awards in Infectious Disease
Applications and deadline updates are available on the PIIH site.

This program provides funds for medical students, residents, and other students from UVa to engage in innovative international research on topics related to infectious disease for periods ranging from six weeks to one year. Innovative research projects within existing UVa collaborations in Uganda, Brazil, Ghana, Mexico, China, South Africa, and the Philippines are encouraged. Applicants are required to identify mentors at both UVa and the international research site to assist with planning and education. Award amounts vary based on scope and duration of the project. Support assists with travel, modest living costs and project expenses.

• Framework Programs in Global Health

In October 2005, the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health announced the awardees of the Framework Programs in Global Health. The University of Virginia joined 15 other recipient institutions. These institutions are working to engage the next generation of scientists and health workers in Global Health.

The UVa Framework Program in Global Health has sponsored the creation of exciting new courses which allow UVa residents to pursue additional training on global health topics and to participate in global health research.

In 2007, the Framework Program facilitated the formation of a Global Health Interest Group which provides residents with opportunities to attend special lectures and presentations on global health as well as to meet with visiting global health professionals and researchers in a small-group setting to get career advice.

Current residents working in International Medicine include:

Women in Medicine

At UVa, we acknowledge the many challenging roles of women in medicine, including caring for people - one's own family and one's patients, transforming the profession through a commitment to balance of work and life, and developing leadership roles in academic medicine.

The Women in Internal Medicine group seeks to develop mentoring relationships with other female residents, fellows and attendings. Monthly meetings are held at someone's home or a local restaurant and focus on:

• Discussing issues related to work-life balance and the work environment
• Sharing experiences and patient stories as a means of rekindling our commitment to medicine
• Exploring pathways for professional development and leadership for women physicians

The group also plans to establish a lecture series to honor the vision of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman physician in the United States. To recognize the contributions of women in the field of Internal Medicine, we hope to explore topics such as:

• The Role of Negotiation in Career Advancement for Women in Medicine
• Boundary Issues in the Physician/Patient Relationship
• Women Physicians and the Tenure Track
• Eliminating Gender Sterotypes from Medicine and Medical Education

Salary & Benefits

Housestaff salaries and more information on benefits can be found on the GME Office web site. Benefits include:

• Health, life, disability and professional liability insurance (fully paid by employer)
• Lab coats, scrubs and laundry service provided
• Meals provided when on call
• Non-cash Benefit - All housestaff are provided $780.00 to use as reimbursement towards parking fees, intramural membership fees, and/or additional meals
• Access to Medline, UpToDate and MD Consult for literature searches at all Health System PCs including direct access at the bedside
• Free Internet access and E-mail; access to word processing, graphics, and database programs
• Unlimited Photocopying
• Housestaff social gatherings
• Housestaff lounge
• Discounted membership to the University Recreation facilities

Vacation & Time-Off

• Three weeks vacation yearly (not in one block)
• Interns get one extra week vacation at end of the first year
• Third-years get one extra week vacation over Christmas or New Year holidays
• Vacations are taken during ER and Ambulatory blocks for interns and during elective blocks for residents
• Days off are 1 in 7 during ward months, when averaged over a four week period
• Days off are variable on elective rotations, but no in-house call and most weekends off

Professional Supports

Residents may attend one national Internal Medicine meeting (ACP, SGIM, AFCR, etc.) or one regional scientific meeting during their third year of residency. Such meetings do not count as vacation time and are subsidized by the department.

Associate Membership in the American College of Physicians is paid for by the Department. This includes subscription to the bimonthly Annals of Internal Medicine.

One subscription to the Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP) is provided to each resident during the second year of training.

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