Paul Brand International Medicine Scholarship

 

MS IIIs at the Health Science Center are invited to apply for a $2,500 scholarship to travel to the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, India during the 2010-11 academic year. Recipients will participate in a one-month (including travel time) International Medicine elective, MEDI 7003. This 4.0-credit elective is offered through Internal Medicine and supervised by Ruth Berggren, MD.

 

These scholarships represent an opportunity to learn about the culture and practice of medicine in a resource-poor country. You'll experience medicine in an environment greatly different from what you have seen in the U.S. and you'll learn about the role of technology vs. the necessity for astute physical diagnosis skills. Please note that this rotation is an observership. The Paul Brand International Medicine Scholarship is only for use to travel to the CMC and cannot be applied to other global health sites. For information on other global health opportunities through the fourth-year elective MEDI 7003 please contact humanities@uthscsa.edu.

 

CMC IN VELLORE, INDIA:
At the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, in rural south India, students who are awarded these travel scholarships will experience not just tertiary care on the hospital wards, but also village clinics, mobile clinics and visits to the world-famous leprosarium where Paul Brand, MD, did his pioneering work on hand and reconstructive surgery after nerve damage.

Previous travelers made use of the opportunity to add on visits to broaden their cultural experience: houseboats in Kerala, camel safaris in the desert, visits to the Taj Mahal, palaces of Jaipur, shops in Bombay and other interesting places.

 

THE DETAILS:
Thanks to generous donors, the Center has funding to award three $2,500 scholarships in 2011. To apply, submit the your completed application form and provide two letters of recommendation by email to humanities@uthscsa.edu by midnight on May 30, 2010. The decisions of the judging panel will be final, and winners will be announced June 21, 2010.

 

WHEN:
The elective is offered in January, February or April. CMC is able to host one Health Science Center student per month.

REQUIREMENTS:
Students are required to complete INTD 4030 Preparing for Global Health Work during Fall 2011 to recieve the scholarship. In return for the scholarship and credit, you will be asked to provide some photos upon your return, and to write a reflection essay about your experience. You should also develop an in-depth understanding of ONE tropical disease you observe on the wards. You may be asked to participate in a presentation about your experiences upon your return.

 

The Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics would like to use information from your essays, as well as selected photos, with credit, for materials the Center produces and for posting on the Center's Web site.

The MS4 elective INTD 4030: Preparing for Global Health Work is a required, and applicants should understand that funds will be awarded upon completion of the elective.

GRADES:
Students will be assigned a letter grade for this elective. Grades are determined based on the reflection essay, report of activities and tropical illness paper. To recieve an A, students must:

• Participate in three medical rotations at CMC and submit a report of activities
• Submit an excellent essay that reflects on medical and social experiences throughout rotations and travels, using the provided guidelines.
• Write up the history and physical of a tropical illness case seen. In the discussion section, include a 1-2 page write-up that demonstrates in-depth knowledge of the disease and its presentation and management. Alternatively, students may choose to focus on a common medical condition and describe how it presents and as managed differently in India. Students are expected to write at a graduate level and cite sources appropriately.

What has Changed? In the past, the Center has been able to send nine medical students to CMC in Vellore. Due to changes in regulations at CMC, we are now only able to send three students total.    Because the Center strongly believes that global health and community service learning are important parts of medical education, we have decided to consider awarding additional scholarships for students to travel to approved international sites for community service learning experiences (may include Guatemala, India, Ethiopia or the Dominican Republic).  Students with strong applications that are not selected for the Paul Brand Scholarship may be considered for one of these new global health scholarships.   The number of scholarships awarded will depend on the number and quality of applicants and availability of funding.   Students who are receptive to travelling somewhere OTHER than India should so state on their application - those who have already submitted applications can contact humanities@uthsca.edu if they would like to add this information.