International Travel Global Health Database

American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
This Web site is an excellent resource by providing international health opportunity databases as well as links to available international courses, fellowships, electives, internships and more! There is also an excellent section on preparing for your International health experience. A highly recommended Web site.

Amerispan /Salud
SALUD Medical Spanish or Portuguese programs are utilized by many AMSA members (American Medical Student Association) and available to people studying or practicing in health-related fields such as premed students, medical students, doctors, dental students, nursing students, nurses, physician assistants, EMTs and those involved in public health.

Andean Health & Development
Andean Health & Development (AHD), a U.S. based 501(c)3 corporation, was founded in 1995 by Dr. David Gaus and Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC, President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame, and Past President of the Rockefeller Foundation, to establish models of self-sustainable, comprehensive healthcare in poor, rural areas of Latin America where there are high risk populations of women and children. Saludesa is the foundation established in Ecuador by AHD in 1997 to carry out the work of AHD in Ecuador.

Asociacion Pop Wuj
Pop Wuj offers 5 distinct Spanish courses: Spanish Language Immersion study, two Spanish courses geared for students and professionals in the fields of Medicine / Healthcare and Social Work / Community Development, a Spanish Immersion Program designed for teachers to gain teaching experience in a Spanish environment and an Excursion Program that expands the immersion course to include cultural field trips. All Spanish courses feature volunteer work projects while the Medical Spanish, Social Work and Spanish for teachers programs provide students with specific field placement and supervision in their professional practices.

Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP)
This site contains a list of some organizations working in the field of international reproductive health. It also contains the Global Opportunities Tool to search for available global opportunities.

Cachamsi Medical Spanish Institute
This is a non-profit international medicine program located in the Andean highlands of Ecuador. They cater to medical students, resident doctors, and other practitioners (for example, independent physicians, nurses, health care workers and providers). Cachamsi is one of the few international medicine rotations that offers structured Medical Spanish classes as well as volunteer opportunities among a unique indigenous population. Participants will gain an appreciation of cross-cultural medicine, and enjoy a vibrant and stimulating experience in Ecuador.

Carisma Peru
“Carismaperu” Is an organization whose name means friendship, generosity and love towards other people. It was established with the primary objective of improving and developing the abilities and skills of children and adolescents that live in the rural and high Andean regions of the central sierra of Peru. Volunteers are able to work alongside doctors and nurses, attending to numerous types of patients or even some emergency cases, depending on the capability of each health centre and clinic in the rural areas of Huancayo. Volunteers also observe and participate in treatments and campaigns for disease prevention.

Child Family Health International
This organization offers 20+ programs that offer experiences such as Tropical Medicine in 5 countries (Bolivia, Ecuador, India, Mexico and South Africa). RWJMS students have participated in these programs. Please visit the web site for more detail or you can contact:

Cross Cultural Solutions
This organization has volunteer programs in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand. You can observe and assist in a local medical practice or take care of people living with mental or physical disabilities, or HIV/AIDS. Please go to the website for more detailed information, schedules, and applications. Brochures are available in the Student Affairs Office.

Doctors Who Volunteer
This is an annual publication containing articles about doctors who serve the underserved and a fairly extensive listing of groups and organizations with whom health professionals can volunteer. Please visit their website for more details.

Doris Duke Fellowship

The Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship (CRF) provides support for one year of full-time clinical research training. The main goal of the program is to encourage medical students to pursue careers in clinical research. Interested medical students must be willing to take a year out from school and conduct fellowship research and training at one of 12 hosting medical schools.

GoEco - Volunteering for Ecological and Humanitarian Projects
Locations: Argentina, Cambodia, Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, India

Medical Volunteering.

Global Health Education Consortium
This website gives a rather extensive list of international opportunities, language immersion programs and funding resources. It also includes job and field placement opportunities as well as links to other helpful websites. Click on "Resources" on the GHEC site directory.

While this guide can provide you with the "where" and the "what", the resources in this section can help you and your advisor with the "how" questions of preparing for an international experience, receiving academic credit, and identifying funding for it.

Global Health Peru
This website provides information on the Global Health Peru Program, a unique multi- and interdisciplinary program at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), Lima, Peru.  This program was created to promote research and training within the global health field. It aims to seek national and foreign professionals and students interested in Peruvian and/or international health problems.

Health Unlimited
Health Unlimited helps the poorest and most marginalized people assert their right to health. They prioritize those missed out by almost everyone else.  Health Unlimited has been committed to securing the health of some of the poorest and most marginalized people in the world for a quarter of a century.

Himalayan Health Exchange
Himalayan Health Exchange is a humanitarian service program bringing together healthcare professionals who give of their time, talent and resources to provide care to the underserved populations in select, remote areas of Indo-Tibetan Borderlands. Each trip combines service and adventure, with team members providing care while also experiencing the land, its natural environment, people and culture.

Interhealth South America
The Interhealth South America study and service program is an integrated onsite introduction to Ecuadorian and South American primary, community, and public health and healthcare for North American medical students, and residents and practicing physicians. In addition, emphasis is placed on medical Spanish language acquisition, with practical skills development in patient interviewing and examination in Spanish. The principal format of the program provides structured group and individual field experiences in international health, coordinated with medical language immersion study.

International AIDS Economic Network
Provides data, tools and analysis on the economics of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in developing countries. Please visit their website for more details.

International Federation of Medical Students (IFMSA)-USA
Use this link to direct you to specific projects - http://www.ifmsa.net/public/

One of our RWJMS students found the specific projects site most helpful.
Please see his comments below:

If you search the database you can find programs in universities around the world. In terms of funding, a number of organizations may be willing to support a project. You may want to get in touch with local community organizations (e.g. Rotary club) to see if you can get help on that front. In addition, an effective, grass-roots way to fund raise is to write support letters to your friends (preferably those who are working) and/or family telling them about what you want to do and why it would be an investment in your education. I have done this in the past and it has worked. I also know of others who were also able to accomplish the same thing.

International Health Care Opportunities in Family Medicine
The mission of the IHP is to foster learning, collaboration, and service in the global health community. The IHP provides opportunities to WVU faculty and students in international health environments in order to expand their knowledge of health care delivery systems, public health programs, and medical education systems in developing countries. The IHP strives to expand collaborative interdisciplinary research and share experiences of the U.S. and countries abroad to promote health worldwide. While providing service to residents in developing countries, WVU participants in IHP affiliated sites abroad also gain a cultural awareness and a spirit of cooperation with other countries.

International Health Program of West Virginia University (IHP)
Please also see " Clinical Tropical Medicine and Parasitology Course" for more information.

International Service Learning

An International educational NGO since 1993.  Sends support & help to underserved locations in Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Africa.

Locations in: Tanzania, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Cancun, Nicargua, Panama and Peru.

General Medicine teams travel to small towns/villages and set up clinics.

9 days or 2 weeks trips scheduled throughout the year.

For more information contact Info@ISLonline.org or click the link International Service Learning above to be directed to their website.

Island Impact Ministries
Island Impact is a non-profit organization founded for the purposes of bringing medical care, to the people of the Dominican Republic, and faith based assistance to the Dominican Church.

Linc Spanish School
Location: Seville, Spain

Offers Medical Spanish courses. 

Malaria Institute at Macha
The Malaria Institute at Macha (MIAM) is a joint collaborative effort - to develop a center of excellence in rural Zambia that will carry out state-of-the-art malaria research - including molecular biology, entomology, epidemiology and clinical studies. The partners involved in this effort are the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Macha Malaria Research Institute (MMRI), which is a US-based non profit organization; Macha Mission Hospital in southern Zambia; and the Zambian government through its Ministry of Health.

MAP International Medical Fellowship
This fellowship provides travel fellowships for fourth year students who are interested in Christian missions in developing world communities. You must apply for this fellowship in your third year of medical school and the deadline is March 1. Please visit the website for more detail or you can contact:

Mayan Medical Aid
Mayan Medical Aid is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization.

Locations: Guatemala and Southern Mexico

Provides Global Health Education Programs and Spanish/Medical Spanish classes plus clinical opportunities. Class size is limited to 6 students per session.  A new session begins each Monday throughout the year.  Scholarships available to help defray costs on a first come first serve basis; one must apply for these scholarships.  Students choose to live in hostels, hotels or houses.  Homestays are not an option with this program.

MEDICC - Medical Education in Cooperation with Cuba
Over 100 low-income and minority students from the United States are enrolled in Havana’s Latin American Medical School. Along with students from 27 other countries, they receive full scholarships from Cuba. In return, they pledge to practice in under-served communities back home when they graduate.

National Registration Center for Study Abroad
This organization can help you find language immersion and homestays throughout the world. One of our students used it for a Spanish immersion program in Costa Rica. Please visit their website for more details.

Panama Global Connection
This program offers a two week Natural and Tropical Medicine course.  Students will travel to various locations in Panama (urban, rural and the rainforest) to learn more in depth about Natural and Tropical medicine.

Projects Abroad
This website provides a compilation of summer programs in various fields on five continents. One of our RWJ students went to Nepal through this program. He felt that the program was well run and had a good experience. Please visit their website for more details.

Student National Medical Association
This is the nation's oldest and largest independent, student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of medical students of color.  The SNMA boasts over 40 years of service to underserved communities and medical students.

South Texas Environmental Education and Research (STEER) Program
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA)—the UT medical school that serves the South Texas/Border Region—offers unique field experiences at the U.S.-Mexico border for students enrolled in U.S. MD/MPH, medical, public health, and other health professions degree programs. This 4-week elective is presented by the South Texas Environmental Education and Research (STEER) program, based in Laredo since 1996 and Harlingen since 2004. 

Unite for Sight
Locations: Honduras, Ghana and India

All volunteers participating in Unite For Sight's international programs are Global Impact Fellows. They participate daily with local ophthalmologists, local optometrists, and local ophthalmic nurses to eliminate patient barriers to care and to facilitate comprehensive year-round eye care for patients living in extreme poverty.

Work the World
Locations: Argentina, Peru, Ghana, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tanzania

UK based group that provides medical, dental, nursing, midwifery and physiotherapy electives and placements in Africa, Asia and South America.

Students live in houses together in each program location.  See website for more details on each location and program descriptions.

World Health Organization
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.