Global Health

The educational sessions embedded in our curriculum include approximately six noon lectures per year on global pediatric health care. Faculty members with different expertise facilitate discussions and simulations covering all aspects of global health care, from infectious diseases, to ethical cases, to cultural competency. Utilizing their training in the Global Health track, third and fourth year (med peds) residents will also help facilitate.

In addition, there are four academic half days each year. Education during these sessions will include cases and hands-on workshops that train residents to think outside the box in tactile and practical ways to provide care in resource-limited settings.

Fellows are encouraged to attend sessions that fit into their schedule as participants or facilitators depending on previous global health experiences.

The local global health component is part of the required Advocacy month in residency. We believe a strong component of global health includes learning about and experiencing challenges faced by populations in Kansas City. We offer a vast range of experiences that expose residents to unique local opportunities addressing worldwide pediatric health problems. Some experiences include participation in citizenship classes and ESL tutoring, learning effective use of interpreters, international adoption clinic, Healthy Departures Travel Clinic, and cultural orientations for immigrants and refugees to address topics such as employment, finances, and health care. Fellows can also participate in community activities for exposure to the global populations in Kansas City or to expand on scholarly work.

Residents in the global health track and fellows with an interest in global health may be eligible to participate in an international elective. This elective is typically one month in duration and takes place in the final year of residency or fellowship. The elective fulfills requirements that will be discussed during meetings with the director of global health as well as your mentor. The goal is to match each resident and fellow with an international elective experience appropriate for the career and personal goals for each individual participant. We have partner sites in Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, and the Philippines. We also have affiliations with sites throughout Africa and Southeast Asia. We have had residents and fellows travel to 16 different countries within the last 5 years and continue to open new opportunities for international sites. A portion of your international elective is paid for by the residency program, and a competitive scholarship is available to help off-set the cost of the elective. All residents and fellows receive pre- and post- travel training.

Faculty members at Children’s Mercy who have varying levels of experience in global health serve as mentors for the residents and fellows to help them pave a path to global health in their future practice. Each faculty member incorporates global health slightly differently into his or her career. Residents and fellows are paired with mentor(s) that best fit the trainees needs. When applicable, global health faculty mentors serve on fellow’s Scholarly Oversight Committees.

Scholarly work related to global health varies for each resident and fellow throughout their training. Fellows are required to participate in some form of scholarly work on their international elective. These projects have varied from educational and quality initiatives, to research projects. Residents have also participated in scholarly projects within the community throughout residency. View some of the community projects our residents have organized.

In June each year, residents and fellows showcase their global health scholarly work and international experiences at our Global Health Grand Rounds. Each resident and fellow that has participated in global health education prepares an academic poster on his or her experience. In addition, some residents and fellows have the opportunity to present at the CME-approved grand rounds. We also encourage regional and national presentations as well as manuscript submission when applicable. We have had residents and fellows present at the Global Health Learning Community session of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Conference and the Section of International Child Health session of the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition. We have also had fellows work published in journals in Mexico and Peru through collaborations with international faculty.

To view some of the posters from previous years, check out our International Sites page.