GHEC: 17 Years of Alliances and Leadership in Global Health Education
April 3, 2008
Sacramento, California
Symposium Chairs: Tom Hall, MD, DrPH; Anvar Velji, MD
Sponsored by: GHEC, Fogarty International, IFMSA-USA, CFHI, Omni-Med, Margaret Kendrick Blodgett Foundation
: : White Paper
Rapid progress in the field of global health and global health education since the 1980s has ushered in new modes of
thinking and action. These are well reflected by the growth and evolution of GHEC (formerly known as IHMEC), the first
North American organization to harness the energies of faculty, students, residents and their respective academic
institutions as they addressed the needs of disadvantaged populations at home and abroad.
GHEC Mission
“GHEC is a non-profit organization of health professionals, educators and institutions
committed to addressing the health needs and human rights of populations around the
world and to improving the ability of the global workforce to meet the needs of underserved
populations. It accomplishes this mission through the promotion, development and
dissemination of high quality, culturally sensitive global health education for faculty, students
and professionals worldwide.”
The ‘epiphany’ and concept for launching a University Consortium dedicated to furthering global health education, took
place during the National Council for International Health meeting in 1990. The first organizational meeting, hosted by the
University of Arizona (March 2, 1991), officially launched the International Health Medical Education Consortium. Faculty
and program administrators from 24 universities attended this meeting and committed the new organization to raising the
profile of training in Global health. Four keynote addresses highlighted the nascent state of global health education in North
American Academic centers.
Three annual meetings held at concurrent city venues as the AAMC created an opportunity for medical administrators to
become acquainted with the consortium and its goals. In February 1994, the Consortium’s liaison committee met with the
Vice President of AAMC to develop educational objectives for culturally sensitive care and global health training with the view
of eventually incorporating these objectives into LCME accreditation criteria. Similar outreach efforts were made to other
organizations such as ECFMG, AMA, & AMSA. In 1994, a panel entitled “Cross Cultural Training in US Medical Schools:
Lessons from International Health,” was presented at the 1994 AAMC Annual meeting. A meeting also took place with AMA
leadership.
GHEC & Students/Residents
Commitment to the care of the globally underserved continues to be a core focus of student and resident advocates. Over
the last 17 years GHEC has strongly encouraged and supported students and residents to participate at several levels in
the organization. In 2006 a Student Advisory Committee was formed with representation from five student organizations, and
two students now serve on the GHEC Board. This year the International Federation of Medical Student Associations – USA
Chapter, became an official Co-sponsor of the Conference, and the eminent British journal, The Lancet, will sponsor Awards
and host a reception for students and residents.
GHEC & Global Health Curricula
What to teach about global health—and when—have been of central interest to GHEC members, a number of whom have
contributed to the literature on these subjects. Several GHEC member schools are committed to taking this further as
witnessed by a number of articles in the recent Academic Medicine.
Teaching Modules Project. Started in 2006, Phase I of this project will result in ~100 peer- and student-reviewed online
global health teaching modules. A recent grant will support module development in low income countries. In Phase II GHEC
proposes to: develop courses (e.g., reproductive health; child health; major communicable diseases; community-based
primary health care; social, economic, political and cultural determinants of health); offer CE and certificate courses; and
collaborate with selected overseas universities to develop regional modules.
Innovative Medical School Project. With three grants from Atlantic Philanthropies, five innovative medical schools (in
Australia, Canada, Cuba, South Africa, Venezuela) are now developing a common ‘evaluation framework’ with which to
measure and compare accomplishments. Participating schools are notable for their efforts to prepare and motivate physicians
to serve disadvantaged populations. On project completion in 2009 GHEC will seek funding for a Phase II project to allow
participating schools to collect data, track their graduates, and assess outcomes. Major benefits of this multi-school project,
already evident, are the ability to compare programs using common metrics and to share ideas and experiences.
Trans-Institutional Alliance for Global Health Project. Initiated in 2007 in partnership with the Center for Global Health
at the University of Virginia, the findings generated by this project are presented at the April 3rd symposium. The project has
two objectives: (1) Characterize the priorities and activities of major North American university programs directed at cross-
national institutional capacity-building; and (2) Identify the main problems confronting these programs and opportunities for
reducing them through collective action. Project findings will have major relevance to a number of Academic Centers and
Alliances including the results of a structured interview survey of leaders in global health, information about ~190 global health
centers, institutes and programs, and a bibliography relevant to capacity-building partnerships.
Residency Guidebook. A first edition of this guidebook will be published in April. The eight chapters, totaling more than 70
pages, include detailed discussions of the objectives, methods, problems, and characteristics of residencies with a global
health track. The guidebook can help students select a residency and help residency directors and residents develop or
improve such a residency. In latter 2008 the guidebook will be submitted to extensive reviews as inputs to an expanded edition
in 2009.
Curriculum Guidebook. In 2006 GHEC collaborated with three student organizations (AMSA, IFMSA-USA, and the
Canadian Federation of Medical Students) to prepare a guidebook designed to help universities develop or improve a global
health curriculum. Now in its 2nd edition, this guidebook will be updated at biennial intervals.
Bibliography. In 2007 a six-person team systematically reviewed the literature in 27 topic categories, some of which were
later sent to content experts for their review. The resulting bibliography, completed in early 2008, provides 800+ citations, many
of them annotated. Selection criteria emphasized recent publication, easily accessible (many are on the internet), and high
relevance to students during the earlier phase of their global health studies. The bibliography will be updated at regular intervals.
International Programs. GHEC’s former president, André-Jacques Neusy, is now based in Brussels and serves as director of International Programs. Besides directing the ‘innovative medical school project’ he will explore potential collaborative relationships
with international organizations and university networks. In time GHEC expects to have international representation on its Board.
Website features. GHEC’s traditional website, www.globalhealth-ec.org, is now completing a major upgrade with a new URL, www.globalhealthedu.org. Besides a wide variety of educational and informational materials for students and faculty, the website
will soon introduce a global health wiki and forum. These features can facilitate collaboration in the development of documents, educational materials, survey and evaluation instruments, and for exchanging ideas.
Annotated Website List. This website provides easy access to a wide variety of categorized global health information about
educational programs, international, governmental and NGO organizations, job and field placement opportunities, and information resources. It is updated periodically in collaboration with major student organizations.
Student Advisory Committee. Convened in 2007 with representatives from (currently) five major US and Canadian student
organizations, the SAC provides important inputs to GHEC programs and members serve on all GHEC standing committees.
Two student representatives are on the Board.