Weill Cornell Medical Students

Short-term elective rotations to international sites:

The Center for Global Health has 18 core faculty members who provide clinical service, training, and conduct research in lower income countries with the goal of improving health care for the resource-poor in those countries. Weill Cornell Medicine students can spend time or become involved with projects at one of our international sites (Brazil, Haiti, India, Tanzania, Lebanon, or Uganda). 
The WCM Center for Global Health offers four major opportunities for WCM to conduct global health elective rotations. The first opportunity, offered in collaboration with the WCM Office of International Medical Student Education, is that students can spend 8 weeks between their first and second year of medical school. The second opportunity is the Area of Concentration Program described below. The third opportunity is as a fourth year international elective. The fourth opportunity is for students who choose to take an extra year to dedicate to global health learning and research (see below). All of these rotations include a variety of opportunities during which medical students will become familiar with global health clinical care, teaching, and research. Students will rotate through clinical departments, will have the opportunity to participate in several ongoing research projects conducted by Weill Cornell faculty members working internationally, or will participate in community health outreach during their rotation. Students interested in rotating to one of our sites should contact Dr. Rob Peck (rnp2002@med.cornell.edu) or Nao Haba (nah7023@med.cornell.edu). Students may also reach out directly to one of our faculty members at the Center for Global Health (Center for Global Health Faculty).

Weill Cornell Medicine also offers several other opportunities for Weill Cornell Medical students interested in an international elective. These include electives in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Students interested in travelling to other countries for an elective should communicate with the Office of International Medical Student Education (Office of International Medical Student Education).

Year abroad: Some Weill Cornell Medical Students have also taken a year off to conduct research at one of our sites. Interested students should contact Dr. Rob Peck (rnp2002@med.cornell.edu) or Nao Haba (nah7023@med.cornell.edu). Several funding opportunities exist for these year-long global health fellowships. Interested students should contact us early since the many application deadlines are ~6 months before the beginning of the extra-curricular year.

Area of Concentration (AOC) in Global Health: Many Weill Cornell students have successfully completed their AOC under the mentorship of one of our faculty. Students have published papers on HIV, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, cardiovascular disease, and women’s health. Students interested in pursuing a global health AOC should read the  VIVO biographies of our faculty and then reach out directly to them to explore the possibility of doing an AOC project together (Center for Global Health Faculty). Participation in an elective between the first and second year is recommended but not required for students considering conducting an AOC project with faculty from the Center for Global Health. Students should also speak to their AOC pathway advisors about global health opportunities or contact Nao Haba (nah7023@med.cornell.edu) or Dr. Rob Peck (rnp2002@med.cornell.edu). We will be pleased to discuss AOC opportunities in global health.

Lectures and seminars: The Office of International Medical Student Education (Office of International Medical Student Education) organizes a number of seminars and lectures in international and global health. These are a great venue for Weill Cornell students to meet faculty and learn more about global health at Weill Cornell.