Global Health Education Programs | Icahn School of Medicine

At the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, medical students have various opportunities to gain a greater understanding of and engage in global health activities. The Ramon Murphy, MD, Program for Global Health Education and the Global Mental Health Program offer structured opportunities and experiences with the goal to improve the health of underserved communities, both here and abroad.

The Ramon Murphy, MD Program for Global Health Education

The Ramon Murphy, MD, Program for Global Health Education is dedicated to preparing and training future leaders in global health through an innovative curriculum and impactful learning opportunities at domestic and international partner sites, with a strong focus on reflection, ethics, and structural and cultural humility.

Students who participate in the Global Health Education Program work with Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai faculty mentors who bring a range of experience and resources to their roles. From National Institutes of Health-funded researchers to those with backgrounds in public health programming, to mentors with experience in clinical care in post-disaster settings, these mentor relationships are an integral part of the students’ learning trajectories. The program also collaborates closely with the Arnhold Institute for Global Health to create impactful opportunities at the Institute’s global and domestic partner sites.

The Legacy of Ramon Murphy, MD

Ramon Murphy’s career was dedicated to caring for New York’s underserved children and adolescents, and his work at Mount Sinai was transformational. With his colleagues, Dr. Murphy began many global health education initiatives at Mount Sinai, expanding the reach of our institution across borders and cultures in the service of those most in need.

With an emphasis on self-awareness, structural and cultural humility, participatory methods, and ethics, the Ramon Murphy, MD, Program for Global Health Education strives to instill a sense of responsibility to a global community among students.

Global Mental Health Program

The Global Mental Health Program enhances access to mental health care for people in East Harlem and around the world. Our program aims to develop, train, and educate our students, residents, and faculty to provide mental health services to those who need it most.

Through the Global Health Summer Research Program, medical students can conduct research projects between their first and second years at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Projects are offered at various locations in New York City, as well as abroad.

Selected students are matched with a research mentor during the winter of their first year. Students then work over the spring to design their research—collaborating with their mentor and partner organizations—and complete the scholarly project over the summer, spending six to eight weeks at the partner site.

Projects can include:

Design, implementation, or evaluation of a public health program
Health needs assessment in a partner community
Quality improvement study for a health care delivery system

Students participating in the Global Health Summer Research Program will receive a stipend.

Previous project examples and locations include the following (please note that these projects may or may not be offered in the future):

Community-Based Health Planning and Services Opportunity for Mentally and Behaviorally Integrated NCD Engagement (Navrongo, Ghana)
Analysis of Health Determinants and Outcomes Among Torture Survivors at the Libertas Center for Human Rights (Elmhurst, NY)
Implementing an Effective and Successful Ambulatory Surgery Center in Rural Uganda (Kyabirwa, Uganda)
Examining Access to Health Care in a Diverse Immigrant Community of New York City (Elmhurst, NY)
Perceived Social Support and Cervical Cancer Screening in Semi Urban Nepal (Dhulikhel and Banepa, Nepal)

For current Mount Sinai students, more information about the Global Health Summer Research Program can be found on Blackboard.

Graduating medical students in good academic standing are eligible to apply for the Distinction in Community Service Global Health during their final spring semester. The award recognizes medical students who have shown significant dedication to meaningful and ethical work that impacts the health and wellness of underserved and/or marginalized communities, including global communities, during their time at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This may be through service, education, advocacy, and/or scholarly work. Students receiving this award have distinguished themselves by assuming a significant level of responsibility and leadership in the planning and implementation of community service and global health activities and programs in a thoughtful and sustainable way.

Congratulations to the 2023 Distinction in Community Service Global Health Award recipients: