VCOM 2023 Annual Report

International Outreach

A t VCOM, reaching the medically underserved is not restricted to the Appalachian and Delta regions of the United States. From the College’s earliest days— in 2003, when the College established the Division for International and Appalachian Outreach—VCOM students and faculty have been traveling to international destinations to provide care for those most in need. This commitment to international outreach, and the vision and partnerships that make it possible, are a hallmark of the VCOM experience. VCOM’s first international outreach trip took place in late December 2004, after an earthquake in the Indian Ocean generated a tsunami that devastated the region. It was one of the deadliest disasters in modern history and VCOM was there in the aftermath, providing care to those impacted in India. Since then, VCOM’s outreach efforts have been deployed several times to help members of the world community impacted by natural disasters, and many other types of international outreach have been added, including partnerships with four year-round international clinics in El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Honduras. In addition to one-month international clinical rotations in the third and fourth years, first year students develop global health skills to be prepared to participate in one-week mission outreach trips in their second year during breaks. These mission trips are overseen by VCOM faculty, volunteers and administration. Typically, these mission trips include 20 to 40 students who assist in community and health care projects. Further, VCOM hosts an annual Global Health Seminar and a Global Health Conference. The seminars are hosted at six sites: each of VCOM’s four campuses; UNITEC in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and INTEC in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Lasting 14 weeks, the seminars are offered annually and cover four public health case studies.

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