Helping to improve a nascent kidney transplant program in Rwanda. Seeing firsthand how changing demographics are stressing the healthcare system in Japan. Conducting ocular injury research in Jamaica and eye-related genetics research in Brazil.
University of Michigan Medical School students participated in a wide variety of international educational experiences in the 2024 academic year, engaging in both clinical and research work in settings that spanned the globe. After four years of travel and staffing restrictions due the COVID-19 pandemic, 2024 saw international educational opportunities for UMMS students return to pre-pandemic levels. In all, 48 students enjoyed educational experiences abroad during the year, the highest figure since 2016.
“While the pandemic limited travel, interest among our students never waned—if anything, it increased,” said Global REACH Administrative Director Tania Piotrowski, MHSA. “Our team is thrilled that these educational opportunities are once again available to our students. Such experiences often shape careers and can make a huge impact for our students and their future patients.”
Quinonez, an associate professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, facilitated three student experiences during the year to Nepal, where he and collaborators at Kathmandu University are working to expand genetic testing capacity and services. Nepal was one of 14 countries to host UMMS students last year. Others included Ghana, Jamaica, Peru, South Korea and Taiwan.
Anirudh Gururaj was the first UMMS to visit Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, part of Taiwan’s largest hospital network, since 2018. His cardiovascular medicine rotation included time in the general wards and clinics, the cardiology ICU and the catheter lab, and introduced him to new traditional Chinese medicine practices and philosophies.
“Overall, my cardiovascular rotation in Taiwan was a transformative experience that deepened my clinical knowledge, expanded my skill set, and broadened my perspective on healthcare delivery,” Gururaj said. “The experience not only fostered many new friendships, but also made me more confident in my medical decision-making as someone entering residency this summer.”
Lucy St. Charles was among four UMMS students to complete a rotation last year in Japan, visiting two family medicine clinics in rural settings. She was struck by the changing demographics—Japan has declining birthrates and the world’s highest median age at 48—and the stresses these trends have put on the system. The doctors she observed worked long hours, performing many home visits. They traveled to see patients in nursing homes, including one that had been converted from a former elementary school, shuddered for lack of students.
“It was amazing to see the quality of care that rural family medicine clinics provide and the way they adapt to the needs of the community,” St. Charles said. “I was inspired by the efforts the doctors go to in order to support their patients.”
St. Charles received a $1,500 Capstone for Impact Supplemental award from Global REACH to help support her experience. In all, Global REACH awarded more than $40,000 to support student experiences abroad last year. A variety of grants are available to students through Global REACH to support both clinical and research experiences.
Mikaelah Johnson-Griggs visited Jamaica this year on a Woll Scholarship, offered twice a year in the spring and fall, support projects that combine clinical and scholarly work. Johnson-Griggs worked with ophthalmology residents and physicians at Kingston Public Hospital, where the U-M Kellogg Eye Center has a longstanding partnership. In addition to observation in the Kingston clinics and ORs, Johnson-Griggs was part of a project to quantify the patients presenting with ocular injuries, documenting their causes, treatment, resulting length of hospital stay, and more.
“This experience has solidified my interest in pursuing global health within residency and within my future career as a physician,” she said. “I hope to ensure patients have the best medical management with consideration to their cultural practices and financial constraints.”
Also the recipient of a Woll Scholarship, Bela Parekh visited Brazil earlier this year on a rotation in the ophthalmology department at the University of Sao Paulo. In addition to shadowing in the cornea clinic and rotating through the eye emergency department, Parekh helped a team conducting research into the genetic underpinnings of nanophthalmos, a rare but debilitating ocular condition.
“This experience also shaped the way I think about myself as a future physician. It reinforced the importance of cultural competency and adaptability in providing patient-centered care,” she said. “The exposure to diverse patient populations and healthcare systems broadened my understanding of the social determinants of health and underscored the need for a holistic approach to patient care.”
Marissa Martinelli spent a month in Kigali, Rwanda conducting a needs-based assessment for a new kidney transplant program that UMMS collaborators helped to launch there, the country’s first. Martinelli interviewed team members across the program, including the surgeons, OR nurses, anesthesiologists, administrators and more, and presented her preliminary findings to team members at the conclusion of her visit.
“The way that I have seen things done here at Michigan Medicine is not the only way, and often not the best way when applied to a different setting and population,” she said. “I found that it is best to stay curious and learn from the people around me, which is a perspective I will carry through my career as a physician.”