Comments on: Humanitarian Medicine: Is it possible in the academic setting? http://studentdoctor.net/2007/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/ A nonprofit educational organization Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:12:52 -0500 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://studentdoctor.net/2007/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-238 Anonymous Mon, 28 May 2007 02:18:14 +0000 http://studentdoctor.net/blog/2007/05/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-238 i have enjoted reading this article and it has been a help in project thank you i have enjoted reading this article and it has been a help in project thank you

]]> By: SGM http://studentdoctor.net/2007/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-236 SGM Tue, 15 May 2007 19:31:06 +0000 http://studentdoctor.net/blog/2007/05/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-236 Having recently returned from working overseas I can add that it is very very difficult to get funding to do so. Many premedical and medical students assume that somewhere out there is money waiting for doctors to use to go overseas, however, it is more the case that there is funding for doctors who want to work with the underserved in their own country but little to work outside of it. It is also the case that funding from a host developing country is difficult to obtain as American's salary expectations are far higher than the locals; in my case (India) there wan't much difference between myself and the local physicians in practice either since technology limitations make it so only the most basic medicine could be practiced, and while you might bring a vast amount of knowledge that the local physicians don't have it may be difficult for you to actually use/apply that knowledge. Having recently returned from working overseas I can add that it is very very difficult to get funding to do so. Many premedical and medical students assume that somewhere out there is money waiting for doctors to use to go overseas, however, it is more the case that there is funding for doctors who want to work with the underserved in their own country but little to work outside of it. It is also the case that funding from a host developing country is difficult to obtain as American’s salary expectations are far higher than the locals; in my case (India) there wan’t much difference between myself and the local physicians in practice either since technology limitations make it so only the most basic medicine could be practiced, and while you might bring a vast amount of knowledge that the local physicians don’t have it may be difficult for you to actually use/apply that knowledge.

]]> By: Tildy http://studentdoctor.net/2007/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-237 Tildy Tue, 08 May 2007 01:23:39 +0000 http://studentdoctor.net/blog/2007/05/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-237 Thanks for the nice comments and feedback. If you would like to continue this discussion, perhaps you could create a thread in this forum http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=223 as a better location for more discussion, or you could post a Q in the academic mentor thread. It is possible to accomplish a lot in a short time as many of these people will have little health care. What makes this work the best is coming back to the same place every 6 mo or year to establish infrastructure and see people again. So, one is doing f/u care. Funding issues are complicated by the general challenges of raising money for any non-revenue generating endeavour. People may raise money via religious groups, via other groups that do public service and honestly, many people donate some of their own money at later points in their career. Thanks for the nice comments and feedback. If you would like to continue this discussion, perhaps you could create a thread in this forum http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=223 as a better location for more discussion, or you could post a Q in the academic mentor thread. It is possible to accomplish a lot in a short time as many of these people will have little health care. What makes this work the best is coming back to the same place every 6 mo or year to establish infrastructure and see people again. So, one is doing f/u care. Funding issues are complicated by the general challenges of raising money for any non-revenue generating endeavour. People may raise money via religious groups, via other groups that do public service and honestly, many people donate some of their own money at later points in their career.

]]> By: holodynamics http://studentdoctor.net/2007/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-235 holodynamics Mon, 07 May 2007 15:15:42 +0000 http://studentdoctor.net/blog/2007/05/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-235 Great article ! I had heard a lot about Fogarty before. While the article says that living/working 50% of the time in a developing country may be hard, do you think living 100% in a developing country, but getting American funds for practice cum research will be hard too? This is like using American funds to conduct may be clinical trials that will not only benefit Americans (or science in general) but will also benefit the people in the developing country. Great article !

I had heard a lot about Fogarty before.

While the article says that living/working 50% of the time in a developing country may be hard, do you think living 100% in a developing country, but getting American funds for practice cum research will be hard too?

This is like using American funds to conduct may be clinical trials that will not only benefit Americans (or science in general) but will also benefit the people in the developing country.

]]> By: MobileDoc http://studentdoctor.net/2007/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-232 MobileDoc Mon, 07 May 2007 02:15:39 +0000 http://studentdoctor.net/blog/2007/05/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-232 Thank you for the nice article, this is very similar to recent advice given in mentor forum but more indepth. It would be nice to perhaps see some examples of physicians who work maybe four months out of the year in hospital in a developing country and the rest of the time in the U.S.. It is too bad that the U.S. government only funds help for indigent patients in the U.S. as the health of the world impacts U.S. health to a certain degree. I have heard that working as an Emergency Medicine specialist might be more amenable to part-time international health work, because there are no chronic patients that you follow, i.e. you have no responsibilities to hand off after you leave U.S.. Short-term medical mission trips are alot of fun for the volunteer, (I have done some myself), definitely performing surgery on children with congenital birth defects helps alot of children in a short-amount of time, but what about medical doctors i.e. a general internist? What can be accomplished in four weeks to help patients with chronic illnesses in a general medicine clinic? Is there a role for physician educators abroad to teach foreign residents/students? Why is it hard in academic medicine to work in a developing country for 50% of the year? Is this a tenure issue? And how do physicians in the US raise funds for overseas work? I find it hard to believe that there is no source of at leas partial funding for overseas service, but then again I find it hard to believe how many people in the US have no health insurance! Thank you for the nice article, this is very similar to recent advice given in mentor forum but more indepth. It would be nice to perhaps see some examples of physicians who work maybe four months out of the year in hospital in a developing country and the rest of the time in the U.S.. It is too bad that the U.S. government only funds help for indigent patients in the U.S. as the health of the world impacts U.S. health to a certain degree. I have heard that working as an Emergency Medicine specialist might be more amenable to part-time international health work, because there are no chronic patients that you follow, i.e. you have no responsibilities to hand off after you leave U.S.. Short-term medical mission trips are alot of fun for the volunteer, (I have done some myself), definitely performing surgery on children with congenital birth defects helps alot of children in a short-amount of time, but what about medical doctors i.e. a general internist? What can be accomplished in four weeks to help patients with chronic illnesses in a general medicine clinic? Is there a role for physician educators abroad to teach foreign residents/students? Why is it hard in academic medicine to work in a developing country for 50% of the year? Is this a tenure issue? And how do physicians in the US raise funds for overseas work? I find it hard to believe that there is no source of at leas partial funding for overseas service, but then again I find it hard to believe how many people in the US have no health insurance!

]]> By: MDPhD2008 http://studentdoctor.net/2007/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-233 MDPhD2008 Mon, 07 May 2007 01:06:12 +0000 http://studentdoctor.net/blog/2007/05/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-233 What academic institutions have the best track records (and visions) for accomodating international work by faculty? What academic institutions have the best track records (and visions) for accomodating international work by faculty?

]]> By: MSTPbound http://studentdoctor.net/2007/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-234 MSTPbound Sun, 06 May 2007 18:30:59 +0000 http://studentdoctor.net/blog/2007/05/05/humanitarian-medicine-is-it-possible-in-the-academic-setting/#comment-234 Very timely and useful. Thank you! Very timely and useful. Thank you!

]]>