Team Investment and Longitudinal Relationships: An Innovative Global Health Education Model

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Global Health Equity
• Service-Learning

Background:

• Medical schools increasingly offer global health opportunities due to rising student interest.
• Short-term global health experiences raise concerns regarding student follow-through and perpetuating neocolonialism.
• There is a need for medical schools to develop global health programs that address these ethical and practical issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Global Health Scholars Program (GHSP) model at Penn State College of Medicine.
• To highlight the program's focus on longitudinal relationships and team investment.
• To provide a framework for other institutions seeking to enhance their global health education.

Main Methods:

• The Global Health Scholars Program (GHSP) is a four-year program utilizing a service-learning framework.
• Teams of students engage in two month-long international trips to the same community in years 1 and 4.
• Campus- and web-based activities supplement the international experiences in years 2 and 3, with faculty oversight.

Main Results:

• Since its inception, the GHSP has accepted 191 students, with applications increasing by 475%.
• The program expanded from one to seven sites across four continents.
• Student response has been positive, though logistical challenges remain in sustaining long-term relationships.

Conclusions:

• The GHSP demonstrates a viable model for longitudinal global health education.
• Formal assessment is needed to compare the GHSP model with traditional approaches.
• Other medical schools can adapt the GHSP model to develop their global health programming.