Global Health

Global Health Track in Neurology:

Overview:

The UMass Chan Neurology Residency Global Health Track is a part of a larger Global Neurology Initiative which aims to increase the exposure of neurologists to global health experiences through education, collaboration with global sites on clinical care, as well as the development of clinical, educational, and quality improvement projects.

In the Global Health Track, interested neurology residents would attend core global health modules (didactic/case discussion) and video-conferenced sessions with global sites, complete online modules and travel to an elective site as part of a global health elective, culminating in a research project presentation under the guidance of a global health mentor.  Currently, we are collaborating with neurologists at Charutar Arogya Mandal (CAM) Medical Center in Gujarat, India and have frequent video-conferenced case discussions and didactic sessions involving trainees and faculty from both CAM and UMass Chan.

There are additional opportunities to meet and travel with UMass Chan faculty from various disciplines including Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Palliative Care, and Surgery who have established global health programs. This global health experience promises to be both enriching and rewarding for those interested in participating. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Fundamentals of Global Health:
   1. Understand the principles of global health and how they apply to the practice of medicine. Examples include:
      1. Global burden of disease
      2. Social and environmental determinants of health
      3. Health equity and social justice
   2. Understand the epidemiology of common neurological disorders such as stroke, epilepsy, dementia, and headache
      
      
   3. Demonstrate awareness of social, cultural, economic, religious and political influences on healthcare and perceptions of health and well-being, both globally and at UMass.
2. Practicing Global Health:
   1. Treat neurologic conditions in a resource-limited setting
      1. Use an evidence-based clinical approach when available in caring for patients utilizing locally available resources
      2. Demonstrate cultural competency in developing plans of care with colleagues and patients in resource limited settings
      3. Effectively communicate with a diverse patient population
      4. Recognize healthcare inequality and how this can impact health outcomes
   2. Develop a research project that relates to the study or management of neurological disease in a resource-limited setting.
      1. Demonstrate an understanding of how to develop and implement an intervention in a resource-limited setting and its limitations

Global Health Track Meetings:

Meetings occur once a month for 1 hour. The format will be a mix of formal didactics and journal club discussions led by one of the residents in the track. A broad range of topics are discussed including cultural influences on healthcare, healthcare disparities, access to healthcare, health systems, etc.  Topics will be decided by Track Leaders and the presenter.

Global Health Elective:

The global health elective will allow trainees to develop and implement clinical research projects, educational programs, or quality improvement projects in a resource-limited setting. The UMass Chan Department of Neurology has an established collaboration with Charutar Arogya Mandal (CAM) Medical Center in Gujarat, India which will be one of the preferred sites for travel. Additionally, there are opportunities to travel to Ecuador, DR, Kenya, Liberia, Bolivia, China, and India where UMass Chan has ongoing collaborative efforts. Other sites will be taken into consideration as well.

Scholarly Activity:

Each participant must complete a project related to global health and neurology by the end of residency. The project may be in the form of an educational, quality improvement, clinical, or translational research project, a case report/series, or review paper. It should involve mentors from both UMass Chan and a local community or global site. There will be a required project presentation at the completion of the track.

Other Didactics:

The UMass Global Health Educators group has organized a monthly multidisciplinary didactic session for residents which will cover a wide range of global health topics pertaining to maternal/child health, disaster relief, immigrant and refugee care and include project and travel planning. It will be expected that neurology residents will attend these sessions regularly unless excused.

Contacts:

Anindita Deb, M.D Co-Leader	Andrew Bouley, M.D. Co-Leader