International Career Paths
and
Research:
Taking a Year Off
Alan Rosenbaum
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Student
Status
Reasons
Timing
Funding
Options
International Career
Paths
International Career
Paths
Research
Research
Research
Research
Research
International Career
Paths
Research
Education
Clinical
Int’l Organizations
Public Health
International Career
Paths
Research
Peds
ID
OBGYN
-Research Dollars
-Academic Medicine
-Home or Abroad
International Career
Paths
Clinical
MSF (France)
Missions
Long(er)-Term
Emergency (Italy)
International Career
Paths
When are you not useful?
A: Medical Student
B: Intern
C: Resident
D: All of the above
Clinical
MSF (France)
Missions
Long(er)-Term
Emergency (Italy)
International Career
Paths
When are you not useful?
A: Medical Student
B: Intern
C: Resident
D: All of the above
Clinical
MSF (France)
Missions
Long(er)-Term
Emergency (Italy)
International Career
Paths
Education
Clinicians
Students
Educators
International Career
Paths
Public Health
Ministries of Health
USgov/DHHS
GH Policy Think Tanks
International Career
Paths
Int’l Organizations
Specialty Groups
UN
WHO
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Student
Status
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Student
Status
What it
means
How to get it
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Student
Status
Loan repayment
Grace Period (6month)
What it
means
Why do
we
care?
Residency Application
Explanation
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Student
Status
What it
means
Definition: An approved leave of
absence in which you are doing
something productive for your degree
Functional def’n: School has to tell the
US gov that you deserve to have
student status
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Student
Status
How to get it
Degree Program
“Winning funding from a
nationally competitive award that
provides enough funding for the
time you are on your LOA”
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Reasons
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Reasons
Research
Clinical
Degree
Internship
Personal
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Reasons
Clinical
Volunteer websites,
professional organization (link)
Internship
PAHO/WHO (link)
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Timing
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
After 1st
Year
Timing
After 2nd
Year
After 3rd
Year
May-May
Aug-Aug
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
-Publishing
-Career changes
-When will you want a break
-Forget coursework
-Step 1/2
Timing
-Acting Internships
-Applying for match
-Debt Burden
-Particular Project
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Funding
Options
International Career
Paths
Taking A Year Off
Location
Funding
Options
Amount/Time
Prestige
Project
NIH
(Global Health Program for Fellows
and Scholars or Global Health
Equity Scholars)
-Operated by a few
universities
-Apply for a project
Fogarty
(now FulbrightFogarty)
-Apply to be in the
program and project
(Used to be Match)
-Infectious Disease
-Mostly basic science
Fulbright
-Student Program vs
undergrads
-Anywhere
-Differences in
competitiveness
-Any research topic
Boren
-Primarily language
program
-Must have plan to
learn language
-Generally no
Spanish/French
Doris Duke
-Only East Africa
(Tanzania, Kenya)
-3 students per year
Specialty Groups?
National Medical
Societies?
Departmental
Funding?
Mentor Funding?
Summer Funding??
Partial Funding??
Links:
1) PAHO/WHO Link:
http://new.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article
&id=1489&Itemid=4245&lang=en
2) Damien House (Leprosy Clinic):
http://www.thedamienhouse.org/contact.html
3) Volunteer Compiling Website: http://www.planetgapyear.com
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Funding:
NIH: http://www.fic.nih.gov/Programs/Pages/scholars-fellowsglobal-health.aspx
Fulbright-Fogarty: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/fulbright-fogartyfellowships-in-public-health
Fulbright: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/fulbright-us-studentprogram
Boren: http://www.borenawards.org/boren_fellowship
Doris Duke: https://www.globalhealth.duke.edu/education-andtraining/medical/doris-duke
Zoya Voronovich
MS-4, University of Pittsburgh
September 12th, 2013
Four keys to having a good experience:
Have low expectations
Be flexible
Have a sense of humor
Be patient
Africa:
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1 billion people
1,200 neurosurgeons
 142 in sub-Saharan Africa
10-12 peds neurosurgeons
Kenya:
38 million people
 16 neurosurgeons

 4 are outside of Nairobi
 2 of which are in Kijabe
Neurosurgical Training:
 Started in 2006
 23 trainees
 6 year training program

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280 bed general hospital
 5 bed ICU
Owned by Africa Inland Church
“Health care to God’s glory”
Hosted at AIC Kijabe Hospital
2 operating rooms
50 beds


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New 85 bed facility under construction
Dozens of mobile clinic dates per year
Pediatric surgery and neurosurgery training and rotations
Long-timers:
A. Leland Albright, MD
Humphrey Okechi, MD
Susan Ferson, NP
Veronicah, CO
Nursing teams
Moms
Short-timers:
Sylvia Shitsama, MD
Martin Situma, MD
Kimberly Foster, MD
Liana Beni-Adani, MD
2011 Cases:

1,328 total operations




410 shunt operations
131 endoscopic third ventriculostomies
253 operations for spina bifida
69 operations for brain tumors
My Cases:

27 cases






9 shunt operations
6 operations for spina bifida
6 I&D/wound revisions
4 craniotomies for tumors
1 craniotomy for tuberculoma
1 endoscopic third ventriculostomy/
choroid plexus coagulation

Allow plenty of time for planning

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Talk to people who have previous experience with:

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
Traveling through a mission organization?
Passport and visas
Airline tickets
Housing
Immunizations and prophylaxis
Expect that things may not be set in stone
Funding
Country and culture
Geography, including weather
Work site
Team
Find ways you can help



Medical supplies you can bring
Equipment you can help transport
Fundraising


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A. Leland Albright, MD
Susan Ferson, NP
Peter J. Veldkamp, MD
Kimberly Foster, MD
Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara,
MD PhD
Kenneth Clark, MD
My family
University of Pittsburgh
Medical Alumni
Association
Global Links
Donors to BKKH:
 Allison Berndtson, MD
 Susy Kohout, PhD
 Kai Larsen, PhD
 Judy Lozano
 Kaarin Michaelsen, PhD
 Anna Vavilova
 Valentina Vavilova, PhD
 Alexander Voronovich,
PhD
 Anonymous donors