Global Health back on course

Just a month before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in March 2020, OSU Global Medical Track students were in Greece providing medical care to refugees. More than two years later, students are preparing to go to Nepal for the first full Global Health rotation during the fall 2022 semester.

In 2020 and most of 2021, the Global Health program was unable to travel internationally, so faculty and staff had to think of other ways to fulfill the Global Health mission.

“Our department worked diligently to come up with alternatives and we were able to find a few such as online programs, helping with COVID-19 contact tracing and domestic travel opportunities,” said John Mumey, Global Health coordinator. “Using Global Health’s pop-up clinic experience, we began testing our own employees and the community. Through collaboration with the OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation campus, we then developed a pandemic medicine course with many global health facets that replaced international rotation.”

There have been a few opportunities for short externships up to a week in places in Mexico and Puerto Rico, but November 2022 will be the first extended Global Health trip to Kathmandu, Nepal.

“Global Health is back to full capacity and increasing our global footprint,” Mumey said. “Working alongside a pediatric surgeon in a large children’s hospital in the heart of Kathmandu, our students will have the opportunity to work with doctors from any desired specialty and experience a very diverse culture.”

Global Health is also planning short and extended medical trips to Greece, Mexico, Malawi and other parts of Africa in the 2022-23 academic year. Other Global Health Track locations include Belize, Cambodia, Puerto Rico and Uganda.