Global Summer Send-Off

The Global Health Club sponsored a Summer Global Health Send-Off Night for medical students who will be going abroad this summer. Students typically use the summer between first and second year of school or in their fourth year to travel and be part of global health projects.

This annual event features talks by doctors active in global health, as well as second-year students who, having travelled the previous year, can offer advice, from their experiences. This year's Summer Send-Off included Drs. Joe Verghese, who works in Kerala, India, Linnea Capps, a new faculty member in family and social medicine who works in Mexico with Doctors for Global Health, and Erin Goss, a third-year resident who has spent time overseas. All offered unique perspectives on cultural competence and the do's and don'ts of international travel.

Dr. Johanna Daily spoke about travel medicine for oneself and one's patients, touching upon vaccines, parasites, common diseases encountered abroad, and how to reduce one's risks. Following this important talk the Remedy Club offered insights on how to take medical supplies abroad, followed by a Q & A with a panel of second-year students.

The option of taking four to five weeks to work in a health facility abroad, usually in a low-resource area, is an exciting one, but can be a bit daunting. The Summer Send-Off tradition is a useful and fun way of getting a lot of the questions answered and addressing the unknowns of travelling and working abroad.