Departments of medicine and international health

There is an emerging role in international health for departments of medicine that care to accept the challenge. Supervised medical rotations in the developing world and the care of culturally distinct immigrant populations provide unique opportunities to expand the scope of medical education while emphasizing a sensitive and humanistic approach to health care. The restraints imposed by diminished laboratory support and limited availability of drugs can foster reliance on diagnostic skills and the essential elements of therapy. Medical schools may elect to become involved in international health, but they must do so without becoming exploitative. Rotations of students, residents, and faculty in both directions should lead to productive interaction at both the clinical and research levels, for all participants.