Summer/Fall Programs

Tufts University School of Medicine, in conjunction with the University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS), offers a global health experience for students after their first year of medical school in Ghana's capital city of Accra. This is largely a clinical observation opportunity and takes place for seven weeks from early June through July. Students will have the opportunity to rotate on the various services including medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and others, or remain on one or two services for the duration of the program if they prefer. Students will shadow experienced clinicians and will have a broad exposure to both tropical and chronic non-communicable diseases.

In addition, this program has limited opportunities to participate in research for those students wishing to principally pursue research opportunities for their summer.

There is no language requirement to participate in this program, but use of translators will be necessary at times while working in the hospital. Housing is available within walking distance of the medical school for a fee.

Students wishing to do a summer program must be accepted for placement by applying directly to the University of Ghana Medical School, in addition to the Tufts School of Medicine Global Health application process. 

Faculty Lead:
Joyce Sackey, MD, FACP
Dean for Multicultural Affairs and Global Health
Tufts University School of Medicine

This eight-week program is in collaboration with the Center for Studies of Sensory Impairment, Aging and Metabolism (CeSSIAM). The main CeSSIAM activities are to promote and enhance the education, formation, and professional orientation of students and young researchers in biomedical and health issues related to the global problems affecting the region. Research focusing on vulnerable segments of the population underlines the Institution social commitment. The preferred topics are those related to nutrition, maternal & child health and nutrition, aging, chronic diseases and infectious diseases.

This opportunity is well suited for the MD/MPH public health field experience, the MPH ALE, or MD students interested in a public health focused experience with proven relevant academic skills (e.g. epidemiology and biostatistics). Field work and location depend on the specific project.

Faculty Lead:
Odilia I. Bermudez, PhD, MPH, LDN
Associate Professor
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine

This eight-week program places medical, public health, and joint degree students at Christian Medical College (CMC), the premier private medical school in India. CMC is located in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, which is in South India. Tufts School of Medicine has had a long relationship with CMC in infectious disease research and medical and graduate student exchange. During the summer programs, housing and board arrangements are available through CMC. Currently there are four formal programs with CMC, one of which is a semester in residency for the Public Health Program; the other three are summer programs.

MD Observership: Medical students who have successfully completed the first year may elect this option. These students have the opportunity to observe in a variety of clinical settings throughout the CMC system, including observation in community settings. This program does NOT have a research component. (Medical students who wish to do research at CMC in the summer must identify a mentor and develop a project independently.)

MD/MPH public health field experience: Combined degree students (MD/MPH; DVM/MPH) who have successfully completed the first year may elect to do their required summer public health field experience at CMC. These students attend a two week community health course; an epidemiology course and a health economics courses are also available and are optional. The remainder of the eight week program consists of a series of rotating placements in public health settings. Students may develop a small public health project during these rotations, which does not require IRB approval, but which expands their public health knowledge and enriches their experience. This project would be designed and implemented with the support of faculty mentors at CMC.

MPH ALE: MPH students may elect to do their Capstone Project (Applied Learning Experience (ALE)) at CMC. These students will elect this option early enough (no later than February) to allow for the selection of an appropriate mentor at CMC. Prior to arriving for their summer, these students will work with their CMC mentor to develop a project for IRB approval and which can be completed in the eight week time frame.

MPH Semester Residence: MPH students may elect to spend the fall semester at CMC. These students will participate in the Community Orientation Project (a three-week introduction to community work at CMC), an Advanced Epidemiology Course, and conduct their ALE in collaboration with a mentor.

Faculty Lead:
Honorine Ward, MD
Professor of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Tufts Medical Center

This eight week research opportunity available for one or two students is in collaboration with the Republic of Namibia Ministry of Health and Social Services and the University of Namibia School of Medicine in Windhoek, Namibia. During the eight weeks of this program, students stay in Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia.

Students will work with the Department of Special Programmes for HIV and TB and Malaria within the Ministry of Health and Social Services. The direct on-site advisor will be the senior Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Officer. Tufts faculty lead, Dr. Steven Y. Hong, will provide close supervision in all aspects of the project.

This opportunity is well suited for the MD/MPH public health field experience, the MPH ALE, or MD students interested in a research opportunity (there is no clinical component). Students will develop a public health/research project which will expand their public health and research implementation knowledge. This project will be designed and implemented with the support of Dr. Hong. This project will be focused on HIV/AIDS and optimization of public health delivery of antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings.

Faculty Lead:
Alice M. Tang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine

This eight week program is in collaboration with the School of Medicine at the University of Panama. For the summer 2013, the program includes a two-week Global Health Practicum, including community medicine, medical assistance service, research, and education at the Rural Post in the Catholic Mission of the indigenous reservation of El Bale in the Province of Veraguas. Complementary activities include Medical Spanish and Traditional medicine workshops.

The remaining six weeks will be designated to either public health projects or clinical rotations at community health centers and polyclinics in the provinces of Panama and Veraguas where students will continue their global health experiences. MD and other students interested in clinical rotations will be assigned to community health centers or Polyclinics where they will have the opportunity to work as volunteers in activities such as Well Baby Clinics, Prenatal Care Clinics, School Health programs, Environmental Health programs and others.

Faculty Lead:
Odilia I. Bermudez, PhD, MPH, LDN
Associate Professor
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine