Temple International Health Organization

Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM) strongly encourages the pursuit of international clinical experience and experiential learning for its students. Temple is actively developing new opportunities abroad while working to improve existing ones in a continued effort to make international experiences accessible and enriching for its students.

TUSM has two main avenues for students to get involved in international opportunities. The student-run International Health Organization (IHO) helps to make students aware of available opportunities, especially for first year students. IHO actively promotes an international perspective on healthcare through a variety of activities, including:

• The Global Health Elective, offered each fall for first and second year students
• Showing films related to public or global health
• Inviting speakers from the Philadelphia area to talk about their global health research and projects
• Facilitating first year students in planning the types of international experiences they want
• Maintaining an online database of international opportunities that is accessible to all students

The Temple family is interested in establishing a continuity of student flow at various international sites. The only site where first year students have traveled for several consecutive years, in collaboration with IHO, is called Project Tanzania. This is an experiential learning program in which students shadow medical staff, do presentations to local residents, and explore the culture and nature surrounding Karatu, Tanzania. This rural health care experience gives broader understanding of health care in a developing country. Temple students also travel in groups or individually to many other countries each year. Some of those sites are now actively being established as repeat locations, as well. Literally the whole world is open to Temple medical students.

TUSM students and staff collaborated to develop an on-line database where students can post about their experiences abroad and research other opportunities. It was created to facilitate students at any stage in their medical education to find advice and resources for planning any type of clinical trip, in any country. The database also allows students to pursue locations independent of the TUSM umbrella.

The second avenue for global experiences is the International Health Program (IHP), which encourages experiences for fourth year students in countries worldwide. Christopher M. Loftus, MD, Assistant Dean for International Affiliations, supported by the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA), establishes and maintains formal affiliations with medical schools around the world. These relationships can support a range of clinical and research-related goals. The OAA facilitates student scheduling of international experiences with non-affiliated institutions and programs, also. Limited scholarship funds are available solely for students traveling abroad for clinical experiences.

The following medical schools are currently affiliated with TUSM and are available for clinical rotations during 4th year:

• Keio University, Tokyo
• Seoul National University, Seoul
• National Taiwan University, Taipei
• Capital Medical University, Beijing
• Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
• University of Zurich, Switzerland
• Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, Dublin
• NRI Medical College, Andhra Pradesh, India
• University of Milan, Italy
• People’s Hospital of Changzhou, Shanghai
• University of Cairo, Egypt
• University of Panama, Republic of Panama
• Technion University, Haifa, Israel
• Fu Jen University, Hsin-Chuang City, Taiwan
• National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
• University of Melbourne, Australia
• University of Malaga, Spain

For more information on all of the opportunities offered by IHO at Temple, visit:

www.sites.google.com/site/tusmiho/
Email: TUSM.IHO@gmail.com

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