Virtual Interim International Electives
Within GU’s School of Medicine, a core academic activity has been the student participation in the International Elective. Some 35% of the School of Medicine graduates participate in this elective as part of their academic requirements for graduation.
Many of the Medical students who apply for admission cite the availability of these programs as a key factor in accepting offers of admission. The participating students testify that the experience they gain during the rotation represents life-changing experience which allows them to serve in the best of the Jesuit principles and broaden their professional medical training. The program has enjoyed strong support and participation by GU’s Jesuit Community.
Given the COVID-19 restrictions and the university’s decision to cancel all off-campus programs – a review and decision is needed to determine the future of this highly successful program.
To maintain GUSOM’s 25-year program of offering Medical students an opportunity to participate in an international elective, arrangements can be made with the long-standing international partner institutions to offer this elective without the requirement of international travel and onsite presence.
Discussions have been held and provisional arrangements made with the following partner institutions: Spain-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Hospital La Paz; Dominican Republic – Institute of Latin American Concern; Ecuador- Universidad Católica de Ecuador; Guatemala- Universidad Rafael Landívar.
The program in each case would be carried out by online – virtual sessions – between the GUSOM students and the respective partner institutions organized by the Office of International Programs.
The programs would consist of online video sessions conducted by the international partner institutions in each country including visual presentations from where the programs are typically carried out: local hospitals, clinics, an example of local patient contact and examinations.
An interactive online capability similar to Zoom would allow students to interact with the partnership participants. An outline would be prepared for each session and made available in advance.
At the conclusion of the country-specific programs – participating students would present a report to the Office of GUSOM International Program similar to the normal report for the in-person onsite participation.
The partner institution would also prepare and send an evaluation. Both sets of reports would be sent to the GUSOM and to Dr. Irma Frank, Senior Associate Dean for International Programs.
Each student participant will receive their respective academic credit.
Any additional expense to carry out the Interim International Program would be defrayed by a donation from the Frank Family Foundation which has supported these programs in the past.
Summary of Virtual Interim International Electives
Office of International Programs at Georgetown University
Universidad Rafael Landívar Guatemala
Background
The Georgetown University School of Medicine has trained health professionals for decades, with a comprehensive and humanistic vision of the health-disease relationship. As one of the elements to achieve this goal, a system of international rotations has been developed with prestigious universities and health centers worldwide, forming an important global training network.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the international elective system is temporarily suspended until the health situation allows us to resume this important training process. As an alternative, it is proposed to carry out a distance education elective through new technologies, in collaboration with the already existing network of institutions such as Universidad Rafael Landivar.
Objective
The primary objective is to offer to the medical student during their fourth year an enriching international elective through virtual education tools.
This program would help meet the learning outcomes of Georgetown University and Universidad Rafael Landivar’s international programs and enable academic training.
The most important health problem at the moment is the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why future professionals must be trained in this pandemic. The agenda could be modified depending on the outcome of the pandemic, but is outlined below.
Introduction to the Interim International Rotation Project
The program in Guatemala will have a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic with a tentative agenda that works on a day to day basis. The program functions as a comprehensive look into the effects of the virus in Guatemala and how it is being treated by doctors there.
Healthcare Systems and Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Guatemala
The first part of the interim International Rotation Project could cover the healthcare system in Guatemala. This would be followed by an introduction to General Epidemiology as well as COVID-19 epidemiology. Regarding the Coronavirus pandemic, we may discuss questions such as: How has the COVID-19 affected the Guatemala health system? After analyzing the pandemic, we could then invite epidemiologists of the university to discuss the COVID-19 situation and the impact it had for Guatemala.
Clinical Picture of COVID-19
The next segment of the project would include the clinical aspect of COVID-19, beginning with Microbiology and the general clinical picture of COVID-19 and other coronaviruses (MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV and the common human coronaviruses). Additionally, we would look at Pathogenesis and pathophysiology of COVID-19. It is furthermore important that we address the transmission and prevention of COVID-19 including its classification and manifestation according to demographics. This portion would conclude with an open table conference with intensive care physicians.
Pandemics, Mental Health and Containment
The last section of the International Rotation Project would focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic was managed worldwide before exploring what strategies are best in containing a pandemic. An exploration may extend to the impact of COVID-19 in mental health and the costs associated with COVID-19. The end of the program would offer a discussion as to what changes have resulted in the healthcare system of Guatemala because of COVID-19 and how the world might adjust moving forward.
Contact Information:
Universidad Rafael Landívar Guatemala
Dr Edgar M Lopez Alvarez MD ( Dean)
emlopeza@url.edu.gt
Tel 011502-2426-2626 Ext2321
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Spain
Background
The Georgetown University School of Medicine has trained health professionals for decades, with a comprehensive and humanistic vision of the health-disease relationship. As one of the elements to achieve this goal, a system of international rotations has been developed with prestigious universities and health centers worldwide, forming an important global training network.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the international elective system is temporarily suspended until the health situation allows us to resume this important training process. As an alternative, it is proposed to carry out a distance education elective through new technologies, in collaboration with the already existing network of institutions such as Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Objective
The primary objective is to offer to the medical student during their fourth year an enriching international elective through virtual education tools.
This program would help meet the learning outcomes of Georgetown University and Universidad Autonoma de Madrid’s international programs and enable academic training.
The most important health problem at the moment is the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why future professionals must be trained in this pandemic. The agenda, which is outlined below, may be modified depending on the outcome of the pandemic.
Program Agenda
The international rotation would review the healthcare systems of Spain. Additionally, it would provide a clinical picture of COVID-19 in Spain.
A particular emphasis of the program would include a focus on the cardiovascular and thrombotic stage of COVID-19. This encompasses the clinical management and telecare and the proposed modality focuses on the recognition of the realities of the different health systems and the stages of acute and chronic pathologies in the context of the pandemic in Spain.
Contact Information:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Spain
Dr Luis Riera de la Moral MD
piperiera@yahoo.es
dr.riera@innovascular.es
Tel 01134–667-522078
Dr Javier Regadera MD
javier.regadera@uam.es
Tel 011-34-657-116-624
Andes University Bogota Colombia
Background
The Georgetown University School of Medicine has trained health professionals for decades, with a comprehensive and humanistic vision of the health-disease relationship. As one of the elements to achieve this goal, a system of international rotations has been developed with prestigious universities and health centers worldwide, forming an important global training network.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the international elective system is temporarily suspended until the health situation allows us to resume this important training process. As an alternative, it is proposed to carry out a distance education elective through new technologies, in collaboration with the network of institutions such as Andes University Bogota Colombia.
Objective
The primary objective is to offer to the medical student during their fourth year an enriching international elective through virtual education tools.
This program would help meet the learning outcomes of Georgetown University and Andes University’s international programs and enable academic training. The most important health problem at the moment is the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why future professionals must be trained in this pandemic. The agenda could be modified depending on the outcome of the pandemic, but is outlined below.
Introduction to the Interim International Rotation Project
The program in Colombia will have a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic with a tentative agenda that works on a day to day basis. The program functions as a comprehensive look into the effects of the virus in Colombia and how it is being treated by doctors there.
Healthcare Systems and Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Colombia
The first part of the interim International Rotation Project could cover the healthcare system in Colombia. This would be followed by an introduction to General Epidemiology as well as COVID-19 epidemiology. Regarding the Coronavirus pandemic, we may discuss questions such as: How has the COVID-19 affected the Colombia health system? After analyzing the pandemic, we could then invite epidemiologists of the university to discuss the COVID-19 situation and the impact it had for Colombia.
Clinical Picture of COVID-19
The next segment of the project would include the clinical aspect of COVID-19, beginning with Microbiology and the general clinical picture of COVID-19 and other coronaviruses (MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV and the common human coronaviruses). Additionally, we would look at Pathogenesis and pathophysiology of COVID-19. It is furthermore important that we address the transmission and prevention of COVID-19 including its classification and manifestation according to demographics.
Pandemics, Mental Health and Containment
The last section of the Interim International Rotation Project would focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic was managed worldwide before exploring what strategies are best in containing a pandemic. An exploration may extend to the impact of COVID-19 in mental health and the costs associated with COVID-19. The end of the program would offer a discussion as to what changes have resulted in the healthcare system of Colombia because of COVID-19 and how the world might adjust moving forward.
Contact Information
Andes University Bogotá Colombia
Dr Natalia Mejia Gaviria
nmejia@uniandes.edu.co
Tel 011-57-1-339-4949 Ext 3782
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Bogota Colombia
Background
The Georgetown University School of Medicine has trained health professionals for decades, with a comprehensive and humanistic vision of the health-disease relationship. As one of the elements to achieve this goal, a system of international rotations has been developed with prestigious universities and health centers worldwide, forming an important global training network.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the international elective system is temporarily suspended until the health situation allows us to resume this important training process. As an alternative, it is proposed to carry out a distance education elective through new technologies, in collaboration with the already existing network of institutions such as Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.
Objective
The primary objective is to offer to the medical student during their fourth year an enriching international elective through virtual education tools.
This program would help meet the learning outcomes of Georgetown University and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana’s international programs and enable academic training.
The most important health problem at the moment is the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why future professionals must be trained in this pandemic. The agenda could be modified depending on the outcome of the pandemic but is outlined below.
Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Colombia
Clinical picture of COVID-19 in Colombia
Pandemic mental health and containment
Clinical management and Telemedicine
The modality proposed could be Problem-Based Learning, for which problem-cases could be designed for each of the weeks, focusing on the recognition of the realities of the different health systems and the epidemiology of acute and chronic pathologies, and mental health in the different countries, in the context of the pandemic.
The teams of each Institution would meet to draw up an investigation agenda, focusing on the impact of the pandemic in their respective countries, and then agree on the methodology of an investigation.
Data would be collected through non-presential tools (online surveys, database analysis, audio/video calls, etc.). Students would participate in the collection and analysis, with the supervision of the teachers of the respective institution.
The product of the project would be an article, which could be published in a scientific journal. As an extension of the project, students could also analyze the impact of the pandemic on medical education.
Contact Information:
Javeriana University Bogotá Colombia
Dr Patricia Hidalgo MD Msc
hidalgo@javeriana.edu.co
Tel 011-57-1-5946-161 Ext 3918
ILAC Center Dominican Republic
The ILAC Mission is a non-profit organization that for more than forty years has been serving the most impoverished rural communities in the Cibao region and the northwest of the country, promoting the integral development of human being and in this way, contributing to the decrease of conditions that make up the various dimensions of poverty, based in the Spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The Health and Education programs have been the pillars in managing to collaborate with the quality of life and constitute the best proposed strategy to intervene in various forms of health problems, particularly illnesses infectious and chronic. Its actions are carried out in a modern building equipped with the highest standards and its actions focused on each community that it belongs to the mission’s radius of action, currently some 160 communities. The health team has trained community leaders in health education as well as in post-surgical care, in rural communities where there is no medical services. These “Health Cooperators” are the cornerstone of the preventive work because they are drinkable leaders who live in the community serving theirs with their knowledge and from their reality with the support health team, doctors and medical groups or medical students from USA.
b. Georgetown Medical Students Rotation
ILAC has been intervening communities living in situations particularly difficult or complex, with specific training actions and tracing. This action is due to the action of students and medical professionals from the United States. The University of Georgetown through the health department for over 30 years has been collaborating with the improvement of the health of communities within a geographically determined radius of action called area. In the summer of 2003 and under the coordination of its dean of international rotation and the visit Georgetown’s dean of health sciences began a rotation of a month in which the students under continuous supervision performed action is punctual collaboration in established health programs of the ILAC mission. The students carried out specific activities regarding the programs: Care for the Chronic Adult (prevention-Control Diabetes and Hypertension), Attention to Women (prevention of Cervical and Breast Cancer), Attention to Children (immunization and growth programs and child development).
c. Proposal for the COVID Pandemic 19
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgetown University has temporarily suspended the International Elective Rotation system until the health situation allows this important to resume the training process. As an alternative, the ILAC Mission proposes a process of virtual training through technological platforms interacting in real-time with doctors and patients in the same communities where in previous years they had done their preventive work. This program will as always be a one-to-one relationship that would help meet the learning outcomes of international education programs Georgetown University and at the same time collaborate in the care of the target communities of the international rotation project of Georgetown students allowing academic training and experience in research.
Currently, the most important health problem at the moment is the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why future professionals in different countries should be trained in this pandemic and how it affects this new situation to the human being holistic or holistic form as an entity PsychoBioSocial. One of the new situations is the emotional state of chronic patients with comorbidity for Covid 19. Fear of contagion and dying from disease, as well as, confinement to such social people like our farmers limiting their actions since they must be locked in their homes forges a situation conducive to imbalance emotional and psychological of chronic patients.
d. COVID-19 Virtual Project
In this sense we propose that Georgetown students visit virtually to chronic patients with whom previous rotations have worked in the Altamira area, Puerto Plata with its base in the community “El Port”. It would work with the assistance of a medical coordinator, an “in-house” doctor, a coordinator of cooperators and the cooperators of the 10 communities to visit remotely. The work would be carried out comprehensively, with the vision BioPsicoSocial acted in the control and management of hypertension and diabetes, as well as in the evaluation through a specific, validated and standardized test on the levels of stress, anxiety as well as the psycho-emotional state of the patients with these diseases in the different communities and in the social and effective. In the end, in addition to the great contribution in the follow-up of hypertensive patients and diabetics, we will obtain the data that would be collected through tools non-contact (online surveys, database analysis, calls from audio / video, etc.). The students would participate in the collection and analysis, with the supervision of the rotation coordinator in preparing an investigation scientist that offers us the reality of the COVID 19 situation in the older adults and in chronic patients with diabetes and hypertension of the Imbert region, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
The product of the project would be an article, which could be published in a scientific magazine or present at a Global Health Conference. As an extension of the project, students could also analyze the impact of the pandemic in medical education. But before being approved we would specify the details of this intervention.
Contact Information:
Institute for Latin American concern (ILAC) Dominican Republic
Dr Leopoldo Carretero MD MMFC
leocarretero@hotmail.com
Tel 011-809-6470647
Pontificia Catholic University of Ecuador
Background
The Georgetown University School of Medicine has trained health professionals for decades, with a comprehensive and humanistic vision of the health-disease relationship. As one of the elements to achieve this goal, a system of international rotations has been developed with prestigious universities and health centers worldwide, forming an important global training network.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the international elective system is temporarily suspended until the health situation allows us to resume this important training process. As an alternative, it is proposed to carry out a distance education elective through new technologies, in collaboration with the already existing network of institutions such as Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE).
Objective
This program would help meet the learning outcomes of Georgetown University and PUCE’s international programs and enable academic training for fourth year students.
The rotation will be made using digital tools.
The most important health problem at the moment is the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why future professionals must be trained in this pandemic. The agenda could be modified depending on the outcome of the pandemic.
Program Agenda
- Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Ecuador and the USA
- Clinical picture of COVID-19 in Ecuador
- Mental health in a pandemic and confinement
- Clinical management and telecare
The proposed modality could be Problem-Based Learning, for which case-problems could be designed for each of the segments; focusing on the recognition of the realities of the different health systems and the epidemiology of acute and chronic pathologies, and mental health, in the context of the pandemic in Ecuador and the United States.
Contact Information:
Universidad Catolica de Ecuador (PUCE) Ecuador
Dr Freddy Carrion MD Mes Psg. PHD (c)
fgcarrio@puce.edu.ec
Tel 011593-99-858-8808