Global Health in Medicine Program

About Our Global Health Partnerships

Our global health partnerships guarantee optimal educational experiences for residents while serving local communities. Our main collaboration and training site is in Botswana, though residents can seek other international experience at other sites on a case-by-case basis. Also, many residents participate in local, regional and national global health rotations in underserved and marginalized communities through BIDMC's affiliated community health centers and the Indian Health Service.

Botswana

Community Health Centers

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center believes that community health centers (CHC) are in a unique position to provide accessible primary care and specialty services to medically underserved inner city and rural communities. One of the most successful "demonstration projects" of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, the community health center movement began in Boston in 1965. Beth Israel Deaconess was involved in community health from the earliest days, helping in 1969 to lead the conversion of Roxbury's New England Hospital for Women and Children into the Dimock Community Health Center. Our strong commitment and support of CHCs continues today as health centers are a vibrant and critical part of BIDMC's care delivery system.

A network of seven community health centers are affiliated with BIDMC, collectively providing care to 90,000 patients in 14 sites throughout Greater Boston and Cape Cod. In 1997, BIDMC was instrumental in helping these centers form a new network called Community Care Alliance (CCA). By collaborating together on clinical and administrative issues, CCA facilitates its members' delivery of high quality, cost-effective care by collectively contracting for services and funds, as well as sharing resources and expertise for the benefit of patients and communities.

Indian Health Service

The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Several BIDMC residents have participated in IHS rotations in Nome, Alaska and Shiprock, New Mexico.

Nome, Alaska is a town of about 3,000 people. Its hospital, Norton Sound Health Corporation, is also the referral center for about 14 other surrounding villages. Most of the physicians are either Family Medicine or Emergency Medicine trained. Participating residents will need to apply for an Alaska license prior to starting their rotation.

Shiprock, New Mexico is part of Navajo Nation, a Native American-governed territory covering almost 27,500 square miles in the Southwestern USA. Of the IHS locations available to BIDMC residents, Shiprock has been described as more “modern” with greater access to amenities. The local hospital, the Northern Navajo Medical Center, is also a larger hospital than Norton Sound, and there is clear division of departments (e.g. Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, and Surgery).

If you have more questions or are interested in pursuing a rotation through IHS, please email Dr. Anita Vanka, Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Visit the Indian Health Service website to learn more.

Other Global Health Projects and Partnerships

Many members of the Department of Medicine are involved in projects and partnerships in countries around the world, including:

Haiti

Nephrologist Dr. Robert Brown is the current President of the volunteer organization TORCH (The Organization for Renal Care in Haiti), a consortium committed to bringing better kidney care to Haiti. TORCH works with the Partners in Health facility Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais in Mirebalais, Haiti.

Israel

Department Chair Dr. Mark Zeidel and other Medicine faculty have partnered with the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, offering quality improvement and education consultation.

Kenya

Dr. Eli Gelfand of the BIDMC CardioVascular Institute has partnered with global initiative Hearts Around the World since 2011. Dr. Gelfand and several members of the BIDMC community have traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to provide cardiovascular care and training at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

Malaysia

Dr. Tony Kaldany and the Division of Clinical Informatics are currently working to expand their international partnership to the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Singapore

Department Chair Dr. Mark Zeidel and other Medicine faculty members have partnered with the National University Health System (NUHS) in Singapore to create an exchange of education, research, and quality improvement resources, and to offer consultation on the NUHS residency and medical student curricula.

Zimbabwe

Dr. Lowell Schnipper of the Division of Hematology/Oncology partners with St. Albert’s Mission Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe, researching and implementing cervical cancer screening and prevention efforts. Dr. Schnipper’s work centers around providing inexpensive, effective, and sustainable care for African women at risk for cervical cancer.