International Medicine Program
International Visiting Student Information and Application | International Visiting Student Forms | Global Health Education Consortium Website |
Thank you for your interest in the International Medicine Program. The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry’s International Medicine Program has a long history of providing students with international medicine experiences. The Center for Advocacy, Community Health, Education and Diversity (CACHED) oversees and facilitates the International Medicine Program with the purpose of assisting students in finding potential sources of funding, and ensuring that students understand and are equipped to face the challenges of this cross cultural as well as educational experience. Currently, we have educational exchange agreements with select medical schools in Poland, Germany, Taiwan, Italy and Ukraine. In addition, we facilitate medical student electives in many other countries.
The International Medicine Program provides opportunities and support for students interested in enriching their medical education with hands-on experiences in a cross-cultural environment. Besides the obvious reason of personal growth, there are a number of compelling reasons to consider an international medicine elective. An international experience provides a broader perspective on health, illness, health care, and cultural differences that are not typical in a medical school or hospital environment in North America. Moreover, an international medicine experience is a natural extension of a community outreach experience that students have while working with underserved populations in the city of Rochester. Therefore, the International Medicine Faculty Advisory Committee will take into consideration if students have participated in community outreach experiences as part of the Student’s of Rochester Outreach program when reviewing international medicine award applications. Through these international clinical and community experiences, health skills can be sharpened through applying them to unfamiliar problems and settings.
In an effort to assist students in achieving paracurricular goals, the CACHED International Medicine Program has four objectives:
- Provide students with hands-on healthcare experiences in Rochester and overseas, and to broaden students’ perspectives on approaches to disease prevention, treatment, and resource allocation in diverse health care systems.
- Promote the exchange of ideas and practices in health care and medical research through exposure to health care professionals around the world.
- Capture the idealism of students and faculty seeking to apply “first-world” knowledge and compassion to human suffering.
- Incorporate students into multidisciplinary teams to enhance their appreciation of the expertise of other health and social service disciplines.
