International Medicine ProgramsGeorge Washington University Medical Center


GWUMC CURRENT EXCHANGE SITES

Global - Operation Smile

Operation Smile provides comprehensive surgical and medical treatment to children and adults with facial deformities at a number of international sites while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable healthcare systems. Each mission is staffed with attending physicians, residents, medical students and other support personnel. Missions are approximately 1-2 weeks in duration.

Austria – Max Kade Fellowship Program, Vienna
This senior clinical elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience Austria’s system of quality medical care in Vienna. Students will acquire specific knowledge along with a broader, global view of medicine. Students may select from an array of specialties. This elective is offered once a year from February to April. The Max Kade Foundation offers scholarships to qualified medical students, which covers Air Travel and lodging expenses for one-month. Each medical student will receive a moderate stipend prior to departing for Austria to help cover meals as well.

Austria - University of Graz, Graz
This clinical elective allows GWUMC 3rd and 4th year medical students gain a better understanding of the healthcare system in Austria. Students are able to select from an array of specialties at Graz and be a part of their growing medical system. Students will focus on biological, psychological and social aspects of research, study and medical care.

Brazil – Minas Gerais
This research elective allows medical and public health students to have a unique opportunity participating in patient-oriented research for hookworm vaccine clinical trial sites in the rural northeastern Minas Gerais State of Brazil. Students will gain a better understanding of tropical diseases and of the processes involved in conducting field-based epidemiological studies.

China – Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital
This clinical rotation allows GWUMC medical students to experience the healthcare system in China. Students who choose this rotation will gain a better understanding of how infectious diseases, tuberculosis and other related healthcare issues face Chinese citizens. Students must perform standard clinical duties and are expected to work closely with a designated faculty mentor.

Costa Rica Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, San Jose

This senior clinical elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience the Costa Rican health care system through clinical rotations at Hospital Clinica Biblica and other institutions in and around the San Jose region. Students may select a clinical specialty or basic science. The student will gain knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of diseases that are not well known in the United States but are common in this small nation, including Malaria, Dengue Fever and Leptospirosis. Students must perform standard clinical duties while in Costa Rica and are expected to work closely with a designated faculty mentor.

Ecuador – San Francisco University of Quito
This senior clinical elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience the Ecuadorian health care system through clinical rotations in the areas of tropical medicine and community medicine in rural hospitals and in the third level hospitals of Quito. Rotations offered include pediatrics and subspecialties; anesthesiology; emergency medicine; internal medicine; infectology, cardiology; obstetrics and gynecology; and surgery. Students must also perform standard clinical duties while in Ecuador and are expected to work closely with a designated faculty mentor. Internships are also available for first year medical students at San Francisco University.

Egypt - Alexandria University of Egypt, Alexandria

This senior clinical elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience the health care system in Egypt through clinical rotations at four hospitals in Alexandria. These hospitals include Amiry Hospital and Shatby Hospital with specializations in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Pediatric Hospital and El Hadara Hospital with specializations in Orthopedics and Neurology. Students will perform standard clinical duties and will gain a better understanding of Schistosomiasis, a major health risk in Egypt.

Eritrea – Orotta School of Medicine, Asmara
Opening January 2009: This senior elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience the health care system in Eritrea through clinical rotations in pediatrics and surgery at the Orotta School of Medicine’s facilities. Students will work closely with GWUMC and Eritrean faculty on-site. Students will gain a better understanding of health issues that affect Asmara and its surrounding communities.

France - Mission Interuniversitaire de Cooperation Des Echanges Franco-Americains (MICEFA), Paris

This senior elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience the French health care system through clinical rotations at participating hospitals in the Mission Interuniversitaire des Echanges Franco-Americains (MICEFA) consortium in Paris, France. Students may select any clinical specialty or basic science research area at one of the thirteen Parisian medical institutions.

Haiti - Project MEDISHARE, Thomonde & Marmont
Medical missions through Project MEDISHARE allow GWUMC medical and public health students to experience healthcare in the central plateau of Haiti. Students will gain a better understanding of infectious diseases and other health issues that plague Haiti’s impoverished communities. Participants will have the opportunity to develop leadership qualities necessary to lead future medical missions.

India – Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital
This elective allows 3rd and 4th year GWUMC medical students the opportunity to experience the Indian health care system. Students may participate in clinical electives for up to 8 weeks at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Jaipur. India Mahatma Gandhi Medical College will also provide GW students with free housing during inter clinical rotation.

Israel - Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
The Sackler Faculty of Medicine is one of Israel's leading health-care resources. It combines a cadre of 1,600 physicians and scientists, and a physical plant centered at the Tel Aviv University (TAU) that reaches out to encompass the central region of the country, serving 40 percent of the population of Israel. This senior clinical elective allows GWUMC medical students to take electives in anesthesiology, dermatology, internal medicine and its subspecialities, neurology, neurosurgery, OB/GYN, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, general surgery and urology. Students must be able to perform standard clinical duties at Sackler and are expected to work with a designated faculty member, who will eveluate the student's progress.

Japan – Nippon Medical School
This senior elective provides GWUMC medical students with a medical and cultural experience to foster a better understanding of the evolution of Japanese Emergency Medical Systems (EMS). Students will be exposed to cross-cultural differences in medical and post-graduate education, EMS system design and hospital operations. By the end of the program, students will have a better understanding of how Japanese Emergency Medical Systems serve their target population. Students are expected to work closely with a designated faculty mentor who will evaluate the student’s progress.

Jerusalem - Al - Quds University
Al - Quds University also known as Jerusalem University in the Palestinian University located in the city of Jerusalem. Its School of Medicine, associated with the city's Al - Makassed Hospital, was the first college to be founded directly under the banner of Al - Quds in 1993 and is the first Palestinian Medical School. At the current time, the medical school graduates approximately 40 students annually. It provides higher education and community services within Jerusalem area to the neighbouring towns, villages and refugee campsin the West Bank. It features ten academic faculties on four campuses. Al - Quds offers clinical electives for 4th year medical students, as well as internships for 2nd year MPH students. George Washington students would work in Al - Quds Jerusalem hospitals and would not be placed in clinical settings in the surrounding towns or cities. Clinical Electives for medical students will be available in the Internal Medicine (General Medicine, Rheumatology, Cardiology, and Endocrinology) Pediatrics, and Surgery (General and Vascular Surgery). Students must be able to perform standard clinical duties at Al - Quds and are expected to work with a designated faculty mentor, who will eveluate the student's progress.

Jordan - Jordan Hospital & Medical Center, Amman
This senior elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience the Jordanian healthcare system through clinical rotations at Jordan Hospital. Students will be able to select a clinical rotation in the following areas: surgery; medicine; obstetrics and gynecology; pediatrics and anesthesiology.

Lebanon - American University of Beirut (AUB), Beirut
This clinical electives exchange allows GWUMC 3rd and 4th year medical students to experience the healthcare system at AUB, an institution that offers comprehensive healthcare services and extensive tertiary resources through its specialized care units. Students may choose from a variety of specialties.

Lebanon - Hammoud Hospital University Medical Center (HHUMC), Saida
This clinical elective allows GWUMC 3rd and 4th year medical students to experience the healthcare system as it is carried out at HHUMC and to work with the leading cardiac center in Lebanon. Students may select from a variety of other specialties as well. HHUMC will provide in-house accommodation and meal tickets for the duration of the elective.

Lebanon - Trad Hospital and Medical Center, Beirut

This senior clinical elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience the Lebanese health care system through clinical rotations at TRAD Hospital, a small private hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. Students may select a clinical rotation from an array of specialties. A notable health issue that students may encounter is the rapid growth of breast cancer patients in Beirut.

Malta - University of Malta, Msida

This senior elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience the Maltese health care system through clinical rotations at St. Luke’s General Hospital in Msida. Students may select any clinical specialty or basic science. Both Thalassemia and Diabetes are health issues that students may encounter while rotating at St. Luke’s.

South Korea - Hallym University Medical Center
Hallym University Medical Center (HMUC) started in March 1982 when the Medical Hallym University was established under the Ilsong Education Foundation. The Medical School, located in Chuncheon, South Korea, is ranked 6th out of 41 medical schools in the country. The Medical School is associated with five major hospitals all of which are available to GW students for clerkships and internships. The largest general hospital of five is Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital in Pyeongchon, which specializes in Neurology. This hospital can offer free room and board for students (subject to availability). Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul specializes in burn victims. Kandong Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul specializes in head and neck surgery. Kangam Sacred Heart hospital in Seoul specializes in OBGYN. Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital in Chuncheon specializes in Gastroenterology. GW students who choose one of the four hospitals will have to pay for room and board.

Sri Lanka - Kelaniya University
This clinical elective allows GWUMC 3rd and 4th year medical students to gain a better understanding of the Sri Lankan healthcare education system at Kelaniya University. Students will be exposed to evaluation and treatment of infectious diseases, tropical medicine, and international health and nutrition issues. Students are able to choose rotations in several specialties and will additionally assist in promoting healthy lifestyles to Sri Lankan community members.

St. Lucia - College of Medicine and Health Sciences
This clinical elective allows GWUMC 3rd and 4th year medical students to gain a better understanding of the healthcare system through rotations at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences in St. Lucia, a Caribbean nation. Students may select any clinical specialty or basic science based upon availability. Although St. Lucia is a small nation, the student will gain knowledge of the importance of understanding diseases that are not well known in the United States.

Vietnam - Hue Medical College, Hue
This senior elective allows GWUMC medical students to experience the healthcare system in Vietnam. Students may select a variety of specialties, including obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, surgery and infectious disease.

For more information, please contact:

The Office of International Medicine Programs
The George Washington University Medical Center
2300 I Street, NW, Suite 708
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 202-994-2796
Fax: 202-994-0074
E-Mail: impawt@gwumc.edu