First degree in international health starts in UK medical school

Rhona MacDonald BMJ

The International Health and Medical Education Centre based at University College London has started the first intercalated BSc in international health in Europe. The course aims to provide students with an understanding of health and health care in the context of changing global processes and consists of three compulsory and two optional modules plus a project, and compulsory attendance at all seminars. Fifteen (nine of them preclinical) ethnically diverse medical students from seven medical schools in the United Kingdom are currently studying for this new degree.

The centre also teaches three special study modules (SSMs) on global health to first year medical students (globalisation, inequality and health, infectious diseases in developing countries, and maternal and child health in developing countries). It has also just started an international health SSM for final year students to provide them with a general knowledge of global health issues before they go on their electives. It also helps to organise structured electives to specific institutions in developing countries to undertake research projects which will benefit the institute and the local community.

The centre started last year after enthusiastic students lobbied the dean of the medical school at the time, Bob Souhami, to introduce global health into the curriculum, and the interest of John Yudkin, professor of medicine at UCL (now director of the centre) who had recently spent a sabbatical lecturing in Tanzania. This was his fourth visit to Tanzania in 30 years and he told the studentBMJ that during his latest visit he was shocked with the impact that developing world debt had on the country. "The lack of support from and interaction with wealthier countries has really affected Tanzania," he said. "When I returned to the United Kingdom I really wanted to do something about it." He hoped to raise awareness about global health issues among medical students and found that some medical students had already had the same idea. Sarah Finer, one of the students who originally lobbied for the introduction of global medicine into the curriculum, said, "It's great to see that student action can really make things happen."



studentBMJ 2001;09:399-442 November ISSN 0966-6494