There are several global health electives available both abroad and in areas of the United States. While you are away on a global health elective, your salary and benefits are covered. In addition, in some cases, air fare is covered as well!

Through our pediatrics program at Cincinnati Children’s, there are several global health sites, and the options continue to grow each year through new partnerships. CCHMC has a dedicated Global Health Center whose mission is to provide international experiences for residents.

While not a requirement for participation in a global health elective, Med-Peds residents also have the option to apply to the Global Health Pathway through the pediatric residency program. The Pathway provides a dedicated curriculum woven into their residency from intern year and throughout residency. In the pathway, residents meet regularly to discuss active global health issues through quarterly journal clubs and are paired with mentorship to develop a scholarly project in their areas of interest.

There are established site through Indian Health Service (USA), Malawi, Tanzania and the Dominican Republic. There is money available to med-peds residents during your 2nd and 4th years, as well as an additional Global Health Fund available to those who are part of the Global Health Pathway. For those interested in global health research, there is also an institutional research grant available to residents through the GROW award. Additionally, we encourage residents to apply for National and Regional AAP grants! 

In addition to the established sites, we also have had residents do designer rotations in more than a dozen states and countries such as: Indonesia, China, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Swaziland, South Africa,, Ghana, Nepal, India, Mexico, and Peru.

In addition to our CCHMC sites, there are also partnerships with our UC Family Medicine residency program to travel to Guatemala to established partnership sites.

Many of our residents do global health rotations during residency. You can read more about their stories below.

“I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a month at the Zuni Comprehensive Community Health Center as part of my global health elective. The Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico is home to descendants of the Ancient Pueblo Peoples of New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Colorado and Utah. They have a rich and beautiful culture that spans across hundreds of years. The health center is located on the Zuni reservation and it serves the local Zuni peoples as well as the surrounding Diné from the Navajo Nation. As a med-peds resident rotator, I had the opportunity to work in emergency medicine & triaging, urgent care, hospital medicine, primary care, newborn care, and adolescent/teen health. It was an eye-opening experience and a fantastic exposure to rural-based medicine!”

- Kristen Peterson, Class of 2024

“My time in Malawi was one of humility and joy and partnership. I loved working and learning with the Malawian residents, caring for patients with them, sharing my experiences and learning from theirs. And how beautiful it was to return to a place where I served as a Peace Corps volunteer a decade earlier as a doctor.”

- Grace Howard, Class of 2025