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International Health Track

Houston, Texas

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International Health Track
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International Health Track Schedule: Frequently Asked Questions

First Year (MS1):

What is required by first year students?

  • Enroll in the Overview of International Health elective (offered block 5-see requirements, listed in Student Affairs office or at http://www.bcm.edu/medschool/tracks/international/index.htm)
  • Obtain International Health Track Requirements Checklist. This is actually a sticker to be inserted into your yellow clinical rotation passports and is available from the Curriculum Support Office, room M314. The sticker is to be placed on one of the blank pages in the back of the passport-NOT the back inner cover.

Second Year (MS2):

What is required by second year students?

  • Enroll in the reading elective; turn in the required elective paper.
  • Mentors to be assigned early spring (please see MS3 section)
  • Begin to plan travel abroad (e.g. Shoulder to Shoulder or other opportunities)
  • Obtain International Health Track Requirements sticker if you have not yet done so (as noted above).

Third and Fourth Years (MS3/MS4):

A. What should I have completed by now?

  1. The first-year overview elective.
  2. The second-year reading elective, including the required paper and presentation.
  3. You should have been assigned a faculty mentor
    1. What should I be doing with my mentor?
      As you may have heard, the mentorship program was recently made a REQUIRED component of the International Health Track. Mentors are intended to help students define their international interests, provide students with travel contacts and suggestions for sources of travel or research funding, and discuss various ideas. They should also be kept abreast of your Track schedule. The official requirement is that you meet with your mentor on a quarterly basis (i.e. 4 times a year). This is probably slightly flexible; however, if you have not yet contacted your mentor, now is a perfect time to get in touch and discuss your goals with her/him. You can also give your mentor a copy of your 2nd year elective paper, if you wish! Please use this wonderful resource, and please update your mentor on all of your activities within the track.
      If you drop out of the track, it is your responsibility to inform your mentor by email. Please copy Ms.Rosa Olvera (rolvera@bcm.tmc.edu) and Tarissa Mitchell (student) on this email.
    2. Who should I contact if I have questions about mentorship?
      You may contact Tarissa Mitchell at tm135601@bcm.tmc.edu

B. What is left to complete?

(Note that many of these requirements can be completed either during year 3 or year 4)

  1. Intensive course in Travel and Tropical Medicine (450-438G, with Dr. A. Clinton White). This is a month-long course which is offered in February.
  2. One month elective abroad. Obviously there are many possibilities, so please discuss your plans carefully with your mentor and with Dr. Parkerson or Dr. White. Some popular overseas electives fill up very quickly, so you should have this scheduled as soon as possible (usually early in the 3rd year).
  3. One month clinical or research experience. There are 4 options and you may choose one:
    • Month-long infectious disease clinical rotation on the ID consult service at Ben Taub (450-538A, with Dr. A. Clinton White) or at Texas Children's Hospital (520-505A).
    • Month-long clinical elective at Casa Juan Diego, a health clinic for immigrants in Houston (740-512, with Dr. Patrick McColloster).
    • Border Health clinical elective in Laredo, Texas. This elective is offered through South Texas Environmental Education and Research (STEER) which is a division of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Students participate in community outreach efforts, test air and water for environmental contaminants, and learn about traditional practices and folk healers. Accommodations will be available in Laredo at no cost to the student. For further information, please contact STEER at (210)567-7760 or steer@uthscsa.edu
    • 20-30 page research paper. Again, you must discuss this carefully with your mentor and with Dr. Parkerson or Dr. White. The research paper can be undertaken in place of the clinical electives to satisfy the requirements of the track. However, the paper does not meet the requirements for an ASTMH certificate (see below).
  4. Spend 4 half-days (4 hours each) at St. Luke's Travel Clinic. The clinic is at 2457 South Braeswood at St. Luke's Diagnostic and Treatment Center-Kirby Glen (intersection of Kirby and S. Braeswood). The clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can actually complete this requirement during your ID rotation month, provided that you go to the travel clinic in the morning rather than the afternoon (afternoon coincides with ID attending rounds). Contact Ms. Joan Williams, RN at the St. Luke's Travel Medicine Clinic, 2 weeks in advance to schedule. (832) 355-8222.
  5. Continue to communicate with your mentor. After completion of your other track requirements, you will also submit a paper to your mentor regarding your activities in the international health track.
  6. Attend four City-Wide Infectious Disease Conferences (4 times = 4 hours). The conferences are held every Wednesday at noon, DeBakey building room M112. Typically students attend while on their Infectious Disease rotations, but you can choose any four Wednesdays regardless of your current rotation.
  7. Complete the self-tests on the Welcome Foundation Topics in International Health CD ROMs. This program offers tutorials on a variety of important topics relating to tropical and travel medicine. Five of the ERC computers have this program under the file "Topics in International Health" (which can be pulled up from the Start menu). At the end of the fourth year, you will be asked to sign a document stating that you have completed these tutorials. Previous students have reported that these tutorials are comprehensive and worthwhile.

C. What if I want to obtain ASTMH certification?

  • ASTMH is the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and has developed a Certificate of Knowledge in Tropical Medicine and Travelers' Health as a credential of expertise.
  • To obtain this certificate, students must pass the ASTMH exam within 5 years of completing the track (not quite a board exam-just a test of knowledge).
  • Prerequisites for the examination include:
    1. Completion of an approved course in travel and tropical medicine-the Baylor International Health Track has been approved in this capacity.
    2. Two months (cumulatively) of experience in a tropical setting.

In summary, the extra requirements for ASTMH certification are:

  1. One additional month of clinical experience abroad. You must obtain documentation with name of institution, location, dates, and nature of the clinical work.
  2. Pass the ASTMH exam, which is taken after graduation from medical school (and, of course, after completion of the Track).

For further information regarding ASTMH certification, please visit:
http://www.astmh.org

For further Info regarding the Track, please see:
http://www.bcm.edu/medschool/tracks/international/index.htm