Global Health 
“When it comes to global health, there is no ‘them’…only ‘us’.”
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
Global Health programs provide a unique opportunity for our faculty and staff to teach medical ethics and humanitarian values through structured and mentored experiential learning opportunities in developing countries. The primary goal of our Global Health program is to provide valuable services that address the pre-identified needs of the beneficiaries, whether they be physicians, nurses or community members, while simultaneously serving as a bridge between the ethics and global health education students receive through the Center’s curriculum. All of the Center’s international electives adhere to a Community Service Learning model, where by a structure educational experience is provided that combines community service with preparation and reflection. Through these structured experiences, Global Health electives as provided by the Center contribute to the development of empathy and humanitarian values in the next generation of health care providers.
- The Center’s faculty and staff help students prepare for their work overseas through counseling and its elective courses. Currently, the Center offers five Global Health elective courses:
- ELEC 5047: Global Health Enrichment
- INTD 4030: Preparing for Global Health Work
- MEDI 4151: Poverty, Health and Disease
- MEDI 7003: International Medicine
- MEDI 7002: Indian Health Service Rotation
To date, students have traveled to sites worldwide throughout their medical school careers with the Center’s guidance. Currently, we partner with organizations and institutions in Latin America & the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, providing students with opportunities to participate in both clinical and community-based health care delivery, public health program design and implementation, and research in resource-limited settings. In addition, our student groups plan annual medical mission trips to established sites in Latin America, the Caribbean, and East Africa. Please see our Global Health Program Directory for current global health opportunities. Also, you can now follow us on Facebook, where you will find updates from the field and important information and resources about Global Health. Welcome!
The Mission of our Global Health Curriculum:
- To provide opportunities for community service learning experiences in international settings which deepen students' knowledge in global health and help to address pre-identified needs in the host communities
- To offer a curriculum in global health which builds a foundation of practical knowledge in global health so as to prepare students for overseas work and encourage leadership, ultimately striving to improve the health and human rights of underrepresented populations worldwide
- To encourage scholarly activities related to global health, including research, curricular innovations, and fieldwork
- To promote awareness of global health problems on our University of Texas Health Science Center campus.
- To collaborate in the training of health care providers from other countries with the goal of improving their own country's health care resources and strengthening our global health workforce
Visit our Spotlight on Global Health page to see what is new in the world of Global Health!
