Planning Resources

As you prepare for your Global Health experience, review the following to help determine where you would like to go:

Questions to Consider When Choosing an International Site.
Choosing an International Elective: A Roadmap for your Decision. How do you choose an International Elective? A Collaboration of Child Family Health International and Medsin-U

The best starting point for students to find a potential site is our password protected database where evaluations of sites can be found, written by students who have completed rotations there in the past. Also, feel free to consult the global health co-directors for suggestions. Learning Sites >>

Finally, if you do not find what you are looking for, you can search on your own. The most important factor in the selection of any site is how well it meets the stated goals of the Externship (preclinical) or Preceptorship (clinical).

Organizations and Programs

This is a partial list of organizations that have programs in various areas of the world. The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson does not maintain a direct relationship with any of these organizations or programs. Check program websites for more details.

Project HOPE:

Delivers essential medicines and supplies, health expertise and medical training to respond to disaster, prevent disease, promote wellness and save lives around the globe.
Volunteer for specific projects.

World Medical Mission - Samaritan's Purse

World Medical Mission places Christian physicians, dentists, and other medical professionals on short-term volunteer service assignments at mission hospitals and clinics in Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, and the Middle East.

American Academy of Family Physicians

Service opportunities for students and residents

Child Family Health International

Programs for preclinical and clinical medical students
2-week Intensive Programs for preclinical medical students

Mission Hospitals - (Africa, Asia, Latin America, South Pacific)

Provided by World Medical Mission and Samaritan's Purse

Christian Medical & Dental Associations: Sites for Medical Mission Experience

Recommended clinical books:

Davidson R, Brent A, Seale A, Blumberg L. Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine. 5th ed. Oxford University Press, 2022 (published online Oct 2021).
WHO. Pocketbook of Hospital Care for Children. 2nd ed. WHO, 2013.
Heymann DL, ed. Control of Communicable Disease Manual. 21^st ed. APHA, 2022.
Khan O, Heymann D. Control of Communicable Diseases: Clinical Practice, 2020.
Nelson BD, ed. Essential Clinical Global Health. Wiley Blackwell, 2015.

Other recommended books:

Krogh C. International Health: A Manual for Advisers and Students. 1990 (with Ron Pust, MD)

Medical Spanish

In 2005, one of the medical students, Mary Foote, created a list of International Medical Spanish courses (updated 2024). These programs have no affiliation with the University of Arizona. This is only a partial list but feel free to download and look into the programs.