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Where Can I Get More Information on This? General Resources for International Health National Council for International Health (NCIH) This is a clearinghouse for all agencies interested in international health. It conducts an annual conference in June in Alexandria, Virginia with speakers on many of the places in which you will be interested, plenary sessions on the current issues facing global health, as well as a job fair and a "matching program" for applicants and programs to meet each other. It is right next door to GWU and is at a time when the students might have the time to get a broad view of all the programs--coming to the student to recruit, rather that the mendicant student chasing down leads, and attendance would be an excellent way to get the whole world and its opportunities seen at once. I can help as the GWU NCIH member that can sponsor student attendance.
This is your group! Four years ago, GWU and the International Medical Education program hosted the national meeting, and we maintain close connections with this organization which has student membership and representation-- which is appropriate, since it is the medical student that is the focus of this all-American medical school program to involve medical students in third world opportunities. As a member, I can sponsor applications to membership, but also there is a very active SRAG (since re-named) Student and Resident Action Group for exchange of information, and also news on such items as cheap transportation. Typically, students at the host institution of the annual meeting put up the student guests from other institutions, and there is an email and Internet correspondence group among like-minded students. This is the central agency for US medical students seeking international experiences above the level of the resources available through this office at your own institution, and maintains a "listserve" for members and others interested. Operation Smile International (Course No. ITD 405) This is a program that originated close-by through the efforts of a plastic surgeon that many of us know very well, and has involved many students, and several faculty, myself and Dr. Skip Williams, particularly, and is involved in scores of missions world-wide. They seek to help the poor children of the world with facial deformities (principally cleft lip and palate) and restore these children to a near normal chance in life. I have even attempted repair of adult clefts! They have missions in nations everywhere, but also some that are domestic programs in the under served areas of the US often doing additional procedures such as burn reconstructions. They are open to students who want to know what this opportunity is like and whether such service is for them--and they will take students down to high school level along to help in the missions! Healing Hands (see Web Site This group is organized as a non-profit 501C corporation to carry donated medical supplies and send teams with adequate field work and local contact preparation to develop sustainable medical missions. Their most recent field has been in Sennegal, where they attempted to carry out operations to train individuals in the use of the equipment left behind. OTHER INTERNATIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION SITES Agency Health Care Policy Research -- Home page for a major government sponsor of research related to clinical practice outcomes and policy. Though primarily concerned with domestic research, some of AHCPR's work is concerned with international research, comparative studies, and cross-national practice standards. Entering the word "international" in AHCPR’s search engine can access studies with international relevance.American College of Surgeons Interest ing Web Sites for Surgeons American Medical Student Assn/Foundation -- Home page for AMSA, with links to the AMSA Foundation's IH Studies Center [http://www.amsa.org /international/ihscmain.htm] for both domestic and international service and elective opportunities, and to the IH Action Group (http://www.amsa.org/tf/inthlth/). These and other AMSA websites provide one of best single sources of information on field placements, travel advice, study tours, residencies, IH activism, and much more, along with links to many other organizations and sources of information relevant to service and study abroad. Students can purchase a printed directory on "IH Electives for Medical Students". American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene --- Home page of ASTMH with listings of overseas opportunities [with many links to organizations and information about locations, type of work, financial arrangements, contacts, etc.], travel clinic directory, funding and fellowships, newsletter and more. The Am. J. of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene provides an extensive listing of overseas opportunities at approximately three-year intervals, and whole text copies of recent issues are provided online. The AMSA International Health Studies Center Boston Univ. School of Public Health -- Boston Univ. SPH's graduate degree and short-term certificate programs in IH. The Canadian International Health Forum's Student Elective and Placement Handbook Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) --- A membership organization with multiple activities and numerous links with Canadian and internatioal websites. CDC, International Health Program Office -- Home page of CDC's unit responsible for IH activities. Information is provided on current projects, global health plans and services; programs; staff roster; IHPO capabilities; information resources and country-specific information; information for travelers and consular information sheets; CDC global partners; and links with other organizations. In late 1997 the CDC home page [http://www.cdc.gov/] has a search engine that for the terms "international health" generated almost 8000 documents out of 18,000 total. Centers for Disease Control Travel Information --- Sections include: Reference Material (a wealth of information about diseases, locations, specific precautions); Disease Outbreaks; Additional Information; Geographic Health Recommendations. Centre for International Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Provides sections on: academic and outreach program; student IH activities; international fellowship program; and links to other websites. Descriptions of their war and health program, and of their "Health-to-Peace Handbook" can be accessed at http://wwwcih.csu.mcm aster.ca/war&hlth.html. Child & Family Health International -- Provides placement opportunities for medical students in years 1-4 in two different locations in Ecuador. Includes a student handbook with much information about the sites, the country, what to expect, and indications of other resources. Christian Connections for International Health -- A membership organization (about 20 listed) that promotes "...international health and wholeness with a Christian perspective." Lists contacts, articles, trip reports, and books and teaching resources. CIA Publications and Factbooks -- Includes among its sections: World Factbook [provides a wealth of information on virtually all countries]; Handbook of International Economic Statistics; CIA Maps and Publications Released to the Public. Dept. of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Univ. Of California at Davis Dept. of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Univ. Of California at Davis -- Describes UC/D IH internships and provides links to many other IH resources and programs. Epidemiology Supercourse at the University of Pittsburgh Ethical Issues in IH Policy -- Describes a collaboration since 1992 in medical ethics between the Univ. Of Colombo and Univ. Of Oslo; provides full text discussion papers and extensive links to papers prepared by other organizations on current issues of equity, financing, privatization, costs, service delivery.[NO CONTACT] Ford Foundation Provides information on one of the largest U.S. foundations active in national and international health. Global Health:Making Contacts -- Contains a gold mine of IH resources and projects designed to develop the architecture for a health information structure for the prevention of disease in the 21st century. The Global Health Resources section [http://www.pitt.edu/HOME/ GHNet/GHMC.html] has a long list of governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations, people, academic institutions, and organizational directories relevant to health. The sections are conveniently grouped according to major mission, affiliation, type, etc. HealthAtoZ -- A medicine-specific search engine covering almost 30 subject categories. No specialized information on IH. Healthy Cities -- Describes the Health Cities project, now well established in the US and gaining links overseas. Seeks a comprehensive approach to the development and maintenance of healthy urban life. IHMEC's Creative Funding Guide for International Health Electives Institute of Medicine [National Academy of Sciences] -- Institute of Medicine's home page. Sections of relevance to IH include: IOM Program Activities; External Links; Board on International Health (and the Board Publication List). Intellicast -- National and international weather forecasts plus lots of more detailed weather-related information. International Development Research Council -- Home page of IDRC, Canada's agency for funding development research, including many health-related projects. Provides information about current and recent projects, program initiatives, publications, training and funding opportunities. Much important research has been carried out with IDRC support. International Health and Traveler's Medicine -- Produced by the Medical College of Wisconsin/Milwaukee, this web page provides source of information for international travel, including links to other organizations. International Health Economics Assn -- Home page of an international association of persons interested in health economics. The iHEA includes a online newsletter, job postings and meetings schedule, a worldwide directory of health economists, and will soon feature an online journal. International Health Care Research Guide -- Centre for Advancement of Health at the Univ. of Calgary (Alberta, Canada) has provided an online resource that includes: a international health care researcher database; links to many of the medical schools and faculties around the world; a directory to health care research sites around the world; and more. International Health Programs at Northwestern University International Healthcare Opportunities Clearinghouse -- Home page of the Univ. of Mass. Medical School’s web site designed for health-care professionals and students interested in volunteer work, employment, or studying with under-served communities at home or abroad. The site provides: extensive listings of organizations with internet links; a list of onlline resources, courses, and books on IH; and information about how to get funding. It now has a search engine that can locate organizations according to country, level and discipline of personnel accepted, language capabilities, level of support required or provided, religious affiliation required or not, duration of placement, and other variables; provides links to home pages of organizations where available. International Medical Corps -- "IMC is a private, nonsectarian, nonpolitical, nonprofit humanitarian relief organization established in 1984 by volunteer US physicians and nurses." The home page lists IMC's programs and job openings for doctors, nurses and other health professionals. International Medical Programs Internationa l Medical Programs of the University of Rochester International Red Cross -- Home page of this venerable organization. Includes a country by country listing of ICRC activities and special sections on topical issues such as civil wars, disasters, landmines, etc. Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health -- Home page of the School of Public Health. See especially http://ih1sph.jhu.edu/ for the home page of the Dept. of Interntional Health for complete information about the objectives, activities and courses of the four divisions that make up one of the largest and oldest academic departments devoted to IH education and research, and for links to other useful sites, including NGOs that may have IH jobs. Library of Congress Country Studies -- Provides detailed and authoritative information on many of the countries of the world prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. The website has an impressive search engine that can search across the data base for any combination of words, rank the hits in order of closeness to your search terms, and then provide links to the desired text. The LoC homepage is http://lcweb.loc.gov/. Medexplorer -- A search engine that is specific to health. Besides providing a search capability, it contains approximately 30 subject categories that can provide quick access to topics of interest. Medicine & Global Survival journal -- A publication of the British Medical Journal group, this journal features articles on war and peace issues. Members of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and of Physicians for Social Responsibility have been instrumental in its creation and editing. Medscape -- Provides free, full-text, peer-reviewed clinical medicine articles, search engine, CME resources, and unrestricted access to MEDLINE, AIDSLINE, and TOXLINE. National Council for International Health -- As of September 26, 1997 this home page was not developed. However, the NCIH is a membershiip organization and major resource for persons interested in IH. Annual meetings are held in June in the Washington, DC area, the NCIH publishes newsletters, occasional documents such as the "Directory of U.S. International Health Organizations," and operates a Career Network to bring employers and job applicants together. Pan American Health Organization [PAHO] -- Home page of WHO's regional office for the Americas. Pages of particular interest include lists of publications, country health profiles, technical information, and links with other organizations. Population Institute -- Home page of a NGO institute working to alert policymakers and the public about the key issues relating to population growth and to the need for population stabilization. Population Reference Bureau [PRB] -- Provides a wealth of information about U.S. and international population trends; includes lists of publications, reprints of newsletters, definitions of demographic terms, resources for teachers and policymakers, and links to numerous other population-related websites. Research funding opportunities -- The Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Researcher Information Service provides a listing of research resources of all types in the U.S. and in many other industrialized countries, provides links to resource institutions, and includes a search engine for resources by persons based at participating institutions. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation -- Home page of one of the largest U.S. foundations specifically oriented towards health issues. Though the RWJF does not fund international projects, it may be useful in funding or reporting on projections relevant to IH. Rockefeller Foundation -- Provides information about the Foundation, its programs, grant recipients and amounts awarded, and sites where research is being done. MacArthur (The John D. and Catherine T.) Foundation -- Home page of one of the largest U.S. foundations, with a large commitment to national and international heallth, development, and population issues. The "MacArthur Foundation Hot Links" page provides links to resources in the non-profit and philanthropic world, to organizations in each program area, and to grantees. Shoreland's Travel Health Online -- Sections include: Country profiles (health, economic, crime, climate, and other data); Travel Medicine Provider (lists of physicians in various USA states and foreign countries specialized in travel medicine); General Travel Health Concerns; Preventive Medications and Vaccines; Summaries of Travel Illnesses; and US Dept. of State Publications. Travel Medicine, Inc. -- A physician-directed company providing travel health information and products for domestic and international travelers, including a travel clinic directory. Tulane SPH IH programs -- Home page of the Dept. of International Health and Development of the Tulane Univ. School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. Of particular interest is the Center for International Resource Development’s page on a "Toolkit for Crisis Prevention, Mitigation and Recovery in Africa," developed with USAID support. This page provides multiple links and data dealing with conflict disasters, refugees, crises, epidemics, food security, natural disasters, with special reference to Africa. UNICEF -- Home page to the united Nations Children's Fund, with pages covering publications, statistics, activities, and lots more. United Nations & related organizations -- Index and links to all agencies within or related to the U.N. system. US/DHHS -- Home page of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, the principal federal agency concerned with health services and data in the USA. Information about the Office of International Health [DHHS/HRSA/OA/IHA] and the International Health Program Office [DHHS/CDC/IHPO], units within the CDC, can be accessed, as International Health Affairs [DHHS/HRSA/OA/IHA] through the DHHS home page. US State Department Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheet -- Provides country-by-country information relevant to health, safety, entry requirements, medical facilities, consular contact information, drug penalties, and more. US/USAID -- Home page for the US government agency that conducts foreign assistance and humanitarian aid to advance the political and economic interests of the United States. Provides a wealth of information about accomplishments, programs, publications and more. World Bank -- Home page to the World Bankand its constituent regional and specialized banks which together represent the principal multinational sources of funding for developing countries. The WB group provides substantial support to health, nutrition and population (HNP) programs, publishes many cross-national reviews, research studies, and country-specific documents on HNP topics, provides country profiles and, through its annual World Bank Report, provides a large amount of statistical information on all the countries of the world. The World Health Organization -- Home page to WHO, with access to all its divisions and programs, and links to other relevant organizations.
MEDICAL MISSION MOTIVATIONS I will add many pages of various organizations and the areas of interest they pursue, but will give a general comment on the nature of many of these helping organizations. My favorites are medical missions. This is for many reasons having to do with motivation and efficiency, and I have used almost all branches of many faiths. It is also notable that people who are working hard at the front line of the world's despair recognize that anyone motivated to help is welcome, and the faith need not be shared that motivated the establishment of the mission outreach to begin with. For example, I have placed several students in Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Swaziland, which is run by the African native Nazarene Church; though the founders may have been proselytizing missionaries and although the rules they set up are still to be respected (eg, no tobacco or alcohol and women do not wear pants or shorts, etc.) at least three of the students I have placed there are Moslems, and were not made to feel uncomfortable, nor coerced into joining in any religious activities, which are available for participation or refusal. Some organizations prefer those volunteers who share their faith; this is their right. Being honest and open in all such regards is a very straightforward approach, and there are opportuities enough that there need be no coercion on either side. It is, of course, helpful in your finding compatible opportunities through your own associations that they may be endorsed by you fully, whether protestant mission, catholic Caritas (I am placing a Franciscan priest who is a surgery resident in four mission hospitals, three of them protestant and only one is catholic), Zakat from Islamic humanitarian funding and other religious sources of faith in action. I especially like the medical mission organizations, since the aid goes almost directly immediately to the people, and the efficiency of volunteer missionaries means that there will be 100 cents yield from every dollar. As much as possible, I avoid dealing with governments (my own included) since the bureaucracy leads to inefficiency--and not to put to fine a point on it--in all parts of the third world "kleptocracy", the burden of graft, bribery and corruption is an unsupportable burden. Purity in human motives may always be suspect in any undertaking--your own and mine included in even this effort at humanitarian help--but the missions have come as close as possible to being free of this crass form of corruption, and they have been very supportive of the students and other volunteers, knowing that this is a formative experience that they would like to encourage to be repeated. If one of the posts to which you are applying sends you an application that asks you to fill out a testament of belief, do so honestly, or write in "Not Applicable" and they may then weigh this consideration in with the other applicants they are selecting. You will not go begging for any part of the world to help!
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