The Mission of the Global Health Division is to improve the health outcomes of patients affected by emergencies both outside and within the borders of the United States. This is accomplished through developing a cadre of fellows, residents and medical students with the skills and tools to help build better systems of care for patients with acute medical needs. These providers develop a deep understanding of factors that impact health inequities and prevent patients from receiving proper care. The work of the division is through partnership with ministries of health, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and academic institutions to design, implement, and evaluate programs to decrease inequities, promote social justice and improve the care of patients with emergencies.
The primary focus of the division is Emergency Medicine capacity building in global settings in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. However, faculty within the division have expertise across a broad range of subject matters including travel and tropical medicine and infectious diseases; disaster relief; comprehensive assistance to asylum seekers and torture victims; and the strengthening of emergency medical services to Native American populations in the United States. The division has over 15 years of experience and growth, and has helped to build capacity in the delivery of emergency services in 17 countries and throughout resource poor geographies in the United States.
Faculty within the division work with their global, domestic, and local partners, with significant contributions from our fellows, residents, and students, to build capacity through the design and implementation of programs, research, advocacy, policy development and dissemination of lessons learned through peer-reviewed publications, chapters, white papers, and national and global presentations. The Division supports a Global Health fellowship and a Global Health Resident Track. The Global Health fellowship was created in 2010 and through 2021 has trained twenty-two fellows, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in the field. The resident track includes a dedicated global health curriculum with monthly case reports and lectures, Global Health Day Lecture Series, and field rotations.
The project has ongoing and developing programs in the Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Nepal, India, Native American territories in the Albuquerque and Great Plains Areas, New York City, and the U.S.-Mexico border. Current research within the division include the Serum Markers in Covid-19 (SMAC) Study, Covid-19 International Traveler Sentinel Surveillance (CITrSS) Study, a systematic review of injury mortality in international travelers, and an evaluation of the impact of WHO Basic Emergency Care course on nursing care in Tanzania.