University of Rochester Family Medicine

University of Rochester Family Medicine
777 South Clinton Ave.
Rochester, NY, 14620
585-279-4846
http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/fammed/iht/
Roxanne_Henry@urmc.rochester.edu

The University of Rochester Family Medicine Residency Program, in affiliation with Shoulder to Shoulder, has a longitudinal site in San José de San Marcos de Sierra, Intibucá, Honduras, where we go twice a year for two weeks. We are in partnership with the San José community and work on their self-identified needs (water quality and access, improved cookstoves, community health education and improved agriculture) as well as provide medical care. San José is a very rural, remote location with no running water and no electricity. Our goal is twofold: to give our residents, medical students and faculty an outstanding experience in sustainable development in the context of a long-term relationship with a community and to improve the health of the people of San José.

Location(s) of program: San José de San Marcos de Sierra, Intibucá, Honduras

Description of field experience: The group (12 to 15 people per trip) consists of medical students, FM residents and faculty, nursing students, dental faculty and residents, and Rochester community members. We split the group between clinical care and community health projects, and everyone gets a chance to participate in both types of activity. Current community health projects include fluoride rinse programs at local schools, lay midwife teaching, improved cookstove installations, water filtration and storage projects, Community Health Worker training, and health surveys of local villages. We stay in tents in a school compound. We see patients in a makeshift clinic; no labs or X-rays are available. We have an excellent Honduran cook. The terrain is hilly, so lots of hiking when going out to neighboring villages!

Description of didactics: Two half-days of global health teaching per year; Global Health Book Club, which meets 4-6 times per year (listing of books read available on Web site); in San José, lectures every night, with all participants expected to give a talk on a global health subject.

Cost to individual resident: For Rochester residents, if part of the Global Health Track and participating in track activities, all expenses for trips to Honduras are covered. For outside participants, cost is about $1,500.

Number of residents who have participated in the last two years: 16

Description of faculty involvement: Each trip has a minimum of two faculty members. Dr. Doug Stockman, Global Health director, goes on every trip. Doug is author of Community Assessment: Guidelines for Developing Countries, and has three years' experience in West Africa. Dr. Barbara Gawinski, Associate Global Health Director, coordinates book club and meetings in Rochester. A total of six faculty members have gone since program started in 2003.

Does the program accept medical students for trips? Yes

Does the program accept residents from outside the program for trips? Yes

Approximate time of year/duration of trips: October/November and May; two weeks per trip.

Who to contact if interested in applying:
Doug Stockman, MD (Roxanne Henry is his administrative assistant)
Director, Global Health Program
Roxanne_Henry@urmc.rochester.edu
585-279-4846