International Emergency Medicine and Health Fellowship
at the
University of Illinois-Chicago
Program Description
Overview
The University of Illinois is the first institution that introduced a fellowship in
International Emergency Medicine with the aim to provide training for expertise in
management of international emergency medicine and health related issues. The field
itself developed out of a desire to extend available resources in leadership and experience
to locations and situations that lacked the infrastructure or organization to address
emergent health conditions. The role of international emergency medicine and
international health as a specialty continues to expand, as the world evolves into a more
global society.
Mission
International Emergency Medicine and Health at the University of Illinois seeks to
challenge and be challenged by the international community to engage in sustainable
development of global humanitarian and emergency care efforts.
The program strives to provide an environment that supports efforts in humanitarian
assistance, encourages development of further initiatives in international health and
emergency care systems, and provides leadership and leadership opportunities to
effectively administer such programs.
Fellowship Goals
1. Comprehensive application of clinical emergency medicine concepts and skills in
international health.
2. Understand and apply the concepts of sustainability and capacity building in
international emergency medicine and global health.
3. Develop the ability to assess international health systems and emergency medical
care systems and identify pertinent health issues to aid in design of health
programs that address identified needs.
4. Develop the knowledge to evaluate the effectiveness and quality of international
health programs.
5. Establish network and skills for educational exchange, research, and funding.
6. Develop administrative skills to organize and implement emergency and/or
international health programs abroad and integrate them into existing health
systems.
General scope of program
Field programs
Disaster preparedness local and international
International emergency medicine curriculum development
Primary health care access in resource poor areas
Public health institution and rural hospital issues
Humanitarian aid and relief work
Medical mission trips, i.e. Latin America, Africa
NGO, self-initiated programs, program directorships
Collaborative efforts with other fellowship programs
Research and academics (examples)
Disaster and triage systems
Demographics and health
Health education interventions
Health promotion
Healthcare access and healthcare delivery strategies
Tropical Infectious Diseases, HIV, TB
Situational reports, executive summaries
Assessment, evaluation, and implementation of programs
Case reports, case studies
Exploratory design and research
Educational programs
Fellowship, residency, medical students, and public health
Fellowship structure
Training in the fellowship will allow the fellow to tailor their experience based on
individual interest while providing a foundation for work in international emergency
medicine and health. Areas of focus may include EMS system development, human
capacity development, disaster response, complex emergencies, humanitarian relief,
global public health.
The structure of the fellowship is primarily divided into six general areas:
1. Clinical: The fellow will work as clinical faculty in the Emergency Department at
a University of Illinois teaching hospital. The fellow will be responsible for
clinical work in the ED, as well as conference and/or grand round presentations.
a. Responsibility: 16 hours per week over a one year period for two years.
b. Serve as teaching faculty for residents and medical students rotating in the
Emergency Department.
c. Exposure to health issues from a clinical and health delivery perspective.
d. Understand immigrant and urban populations and motivations for seeking
care and challenges in navigating the U.S. health system at an academic
and associated critical access hospitals.
2. International fieldwork: The fellow will be working abroad on international
health projects. These international experiences are generally arranged by the
fellow, with supervision of the fellowship director. These experiences will
comprise of assessment and evaluation research, provision of basic health
care/conducting interventions, implementation of new training curriculums in
different countries, disaster or public health response. It is expected that the
fellow will be able to generate, at minimum, a report from each project/trip.
Depending upon coursework and clinical work responsibilities, the fellow may
have up to 4-5 months of international experience.
a. Fieldwork length varies from 10 days to 6 weeks.
b. Practical experience to develop skills as a public health researcher and/or
expert in global health issues.
c. Exposure to different aspects of conducting work and research in an
international setting: from planning and coordination with organizations to
communication and understanding cultural and regional influences.
d. Exposure to diseases that are not commonly seen in developed countries
and various health systems and structures.
3. Didactic: The fellow during the course of the program will get exposure to the
public health issues related to practice and international health through obtaining
a masters degree in Public Health at the University of Illinois School of Public
Health. The fellow will be responsible for the application to the Professional
Enhancement Program through the school. In addition, the fellow will attend
external courses specific to international health, including parasitology and health
issues related to displaced populations.
a. Obtain an advanced degree in public health.
b. Supplement course work with specific courses dealing with large
populations, i.e. refugee populations and complex humanitarian situations.
i. Health Emergencies in Large Populations, a multidisciplinary and
multicultural course given partnership with WHO, ICRC and
academic institutions.
c. Supplement course work with specific courses in tropical diseases, i.e.
parasitology and epidemiology of tropical diseases.
i. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Distance
Learning Program: Epidemiology and Control of Infectious
Diseases in Developing Countries (IDM301)
4. Research: Each fellow is required to become involved in some aspect of a
research project during the program. It is expected that each fellow will produce
a publishable manuscript at the end of the fellowship. Collaboration is encouraged
with other institutions and/or other departments. Incorporated within the research
arm is exposure to grant writing and aspects of obtaining funds for projects. The
research experience includes international conference attendance.
a. Understand aspects of conducting research and working in an academic
environment. This includes, but is not limited to:
i. Research design
ii. Conducting literature search relevant to project content
iii. Assessment, familiarization with various assessment tools,
conducting an assessment and/or intervention design
iv. Evaluation, exposure to post assessment evaluation of study
v. Data analysis, mixed methods research
vi. Manuscript preparation and writing
5. Administrative: The fellow will engage in administrative activity in the form of
organizing, planning, and implementing different aspects of projects. He/she will
also obtain experience through involvement with agencies or programs within
other institutions.
a. Acquire the leadership skills by leading a group of health care
professionals and students in an internationally focused project.
b. Learn skills and components needed to navigate the logistics required in
leading an international project.
c. Exposure to the organizational structure of agencies involved in
humanitarian or development programs globally.
6. Communication: Recognizing the importance of communication in working
globally, the fellow will demonstrate efforts towards a language proficiency in a
language of their choosing.
a. Learn the basic greetings in the country where work is conducted, as a
demonstration of a collaborative spirit.
b. Expose fellow to the issues and challenges of conducting research and
work in international settings, reliance on translation and limitations of
translation.
Duration of fellowship
The fellowship is a two year program which incorporates the advanced degree, clinical
emergency department responsibilities, and international field work. A one+ year
fellowship is possible for those that have already received their MPH degree at the
discretion of the fellowship director.
Additional activities
Within the Department of Emergency Medicine, we have created a consortium of
fellowship programs, the Academic Development and Professionalism Collaborative
(ADPC), to convene the various fellowship programs with a goal to provide a platform in
which to enrich the fellows’ training experience and development into an academic
professional at UIC. Each fellow will be involved in this endeavor.
ADPC Purpose/Goals:
1) Introduce fellows to academic careers in medicine.
2) Provide oversight for the clinical roles of fellows.
3) Provide a forum to share knowledge and collaborate amongst various
subspecialties.
4) Expose fellows in different programs to each other to promote camaraderie.
Primary overall objectives:
 Quarterly meetings convening all fellows and fellowship directors


Provide core topics that apply to all fellowship programs. (Examples:
mentorship, research in progress, grant writing workship, work life balance,
strategies for teaching and providing feedback)
Establish an online module-based training program on conducting research
and scholarly activity that will be completed by all fellows during their
training.
We are also part of the Center for Global Health here at the University of Illinois. Started
two years ago, it is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary center that focuses on
research, education, and service that transcends national boundaries.
Appointment of fellows
Fellowships are awarded for a two year period beginning on July 1st. Each fellow will
receive an appointment at the University of Illinois College of Medicine as clinical
instructor. The fellow will be responsible for 16 hours clinical and 4 hours non-clinical
time per week and will be compensated according to that appointment. Benefits, CME,
international travel funds, advanced degree tuition is budgeted.
Evaluation
The fellowship director, along with the department of Emergency Medicine will annually
evaluate the fellowship curriculum as it relates to stated goals and objectives. Evaluation
of the fellows will occur on a biannual basis throughout the duration of the program.
Clinical performance in the Emergency Department will be conducted as per the
department guidelines. International fieldwork evaluation will be performed by the
associated contacts.
In addition, we hold regular fellow meetings once a week or twice a week depending on
clinical, didactic, and travel schedule of the core fellowship group. This is an opportunity
to provide immediate feedback and a mechanism to ensure progress of the fellows’
program and achievement of the core curriculum activities.
Collaborations
As the development of International Emergency Medicine continues, we emphasize the
cooperation with other institutions on projects and sharing of ideas. We work with
various NGOs and corporations in providing medical service advisorship and
international experiences. In addition, we work with several multi-disciplinary entities
within the University of Illinois and the surrounding community.
Initiatives
As an institution, we have active and current initiatives in Latin America and the
Caribbean, East Africa, and India. However, we have programs in other countries
throughout the world. Past fellows have also conducted projects in other parts of Asia,
Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
Present initiatives
Previous work with Associacion de los Promotores de Salud San Marcos, a
nongovernmental organization that has continued to provide health care in rural
Guatemala through indigenous health promoters trained by a group of Maryknoll
nuns/physicians. We have provided support in caring for patients, training health
promoters, legitimizing the role of the health promoter, and observing the development of
sustainable health centers in that region.
Global Emergency Care Collaborative and Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Uganda: emergency
care delivery and development of sustainable systems.
Engeye Health, Ddegeya Village, Uganda, NGO, providing medical care and overseeing
public health programming.
Delmas Mcdical Clinic and Delmas Mayor’s office: health care access, delivery of care,
and disaster preparedness
Grace Village and Carrefour local government, Haiti, improving health care access and
delivery
International Medical Corps, relief/humanitarian focused NGO, providing training and
acute disaster response.
Mision Fronteras, Lake Titicaca Binational region, Bolivia and Peru, building health care
infrastructure
Seva Mandir, India, NGO, improving health status in rural India
Laos and UIC, government medical center and clinical care.
Chang Mai University and UIC, collaborating college of medicine programs
Mwami, Zambia, local health care
International Emergency Medicine Conference in Cuba, 2003, sponsored by the
University of Illinois Chicago
FERNE, Foundation in education and research in neurological emergencies, is a not-forprofit organization that has had involvement in Chile and South America and is actively
involved in many international conferences.
Application
Interested candidates must be residency trained, board eligible/board certified in
Emergency Medicine. Candidates from other specialties, i.e. Internal Medicine or
Pediatrics, may be considered. However, specific training in emergency medical systems
may be required during the course of the fellowship. Candidates should have a strong
desire to contribute to the field of international health. Deadline for applications
November 15th. We typically start interviewing in November.
You may also find us in the IEM fellowship website at www.iemfellowships.com.
Please send* a letter of interest, a brief personal statement, and a curriculum vitae to the
address below. We also require three letters of recommendation that can be sent
separately to the address below:
Janet Lin, MD, MPH
Director, International Emergency Medicine Fellowship
Department of Emergency Medicine
808 S. Wood CME 470
Chicago, IL 60612
Office: 312-996-4160
Fax: 312-413-0289
Email: jlin7@uic.edu
*can be sent as an attachment in an email document