Global Health Program

Course Information

The course is open to family medicine practitioners, general internists, internal medicine subspecialists, pediatricians, emergency medicine physicians, obstetricians/gynecologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, nurses, public health professionals, physician assistants, and to anyone interested in making a career change. This course is divided into three two-week modules in order to accommodate busy schedules and allow more flexibility for health care professionals to take the course. Participants may take just one, two, or three modules in any sequence, or they may choose to take the entire course at once if their schedules allow. The courses of three (3) major components, with a content of approximately 301 hours of didactic contact time as follows:

  1. Didactic lectures, seminars, and small-group discussions in infectious diseases and tropical medicine, and tropical public health [240 hours]
  2. Laboratory demonstrations and practicums in microbiology (e.g. bacteriology, parasitology, mycology, mycobacteriology, virology), hematology, dermatology, surgery, radiology, primary health care techniques, and computers [52 hours]
  3. Flexible, supervised, educational training modules in international travel medicine, computer modeling in epidemiologic field methods (e.g. EPI info, biostatistics, etc.) and infectious diseases and parasitology case studies (both slide- and video-based) [9 hours]
  4. The WVU Global Health Program can assist participants in arranging two month clinical field experiences in tropical medicine for those who have not worked overseas previously.

The course focuses on the imparting of essential skills and competencies in clinical tropical medicine, laboratory skills in a low-technology setting, epidemiology and disease control, and traveler's health. The didactic portion of the ASTMH course is conducted by both full-time and clinical faculty at WVU, and by visiting faculty from several American and foreign schools of medicine and public health. The course runs for six weeks during the summer months each year. Lecturers and demonstrators have had significant overseas experiences in clinical tropical medicine and/or tropical public health, and/or are nationally or internationally recognized in their field experience. Up to 35 participants can be accommodated per module in the lecture course component.

Objectives

Following this conference, participants should be able to:

  • Identify major global issues in tropical public health such as Women’s Health, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vector Control, Water and Sanitation, and Famine and Refugees
  • Discuss clinical tropical diseases frequently encountered in the developing world
  • Diagnose and treat these diseases
  • Implement field-based preventive and control measures for major communicable/infectious diseases
  • Manage travel related illnesses
  • Identify important parasitic diseases in tropical and developing countries
  • Review clinical presentations, diagnosis and management of these diseases
  • Discuss important vectors that transmit and cause infectious diseases, including insects and ticks
  • Discuss infectious diseases causes by bacteria, viruses and fungi that are encountered in tropical regions
  • Diagnose and treat these diseases

Registration Fees

Residency and Fellowship Programs - We are able to offer a special registration rate of $2,400 for all 4 modules to residency and fellowship programs who send two or more residents or fellows to our course. We are also able to offer non-WVU medical students the rate of $500/module or $1,500 for all 4 modules.

Important: If you are unable to attend the course after you have registered, you must notify us in writing six weeks prior to the start of the course to receive a refund. A $75.00 fee will be charged for all canceled registrations. We reserve the right to cancel individual sessions or the entire course. In the event of a course cancellation, a full registration fee refund will be made.

Social Justice Syllabus Statement

West Virginia University is committed to social justice. We concur with that commitment and expect to foster a nurturing learning environment based upon open communication, mutual respect, and non-discrimination. Our University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, color or national origin. Any suggestions as to how to further such a positive and open environment in this class will be appreciated and given serious consideration.

If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in this class, please advise us, and we will make appropriate arrangements with Disability Services.