University of Florida College of Medicine

International Summer Research Program in Peru

APPLICATIONS DUE TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2008    Application Form 2008

 

I. Program Description

   A. This program is designed to provide medical students with the opportunity to develop research and clinical skills while being exposed to the profound intersections between poverty, culture and health.  Students will spend four weeks in Cuzco, Peru working at a NGO-sponsored clinic, conducting research, and working with local doctors to provide care for the indigent.  This experience will offer medical students a unique opportunity to explore the expanding field of international health.

   B. Student Objectives: 

       1.  Develop research skills and an understanding of healthcare challenges in a resource poor setting.

       2.  Collaborate with international multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

       3.  Enhance history taking and physical examination skills.

       4.  Develop medical Spanish skills.

       5.  Cultivate a deeper sensitivity to international healthcare disparities and their impact on individual patients.

       6.  Provide an experience that will encourage a practice of medicine that values both cultural diversity and humanism.

 

II.  Program Requirements

   A.  Commit four weeks during the summer to live and work at Centro Medico Asistencial Casa Hogar del Campesino in Cuzco, Peru.

   B.  Work with a faculty advisor to develop a team research project that can be performed during the course of the summer.

   C.  Present research project to faculty and peers at Research Day.

   D.  Plan a symposium and information session to help recruit first year students for the following year.

   E.  Help prepare the future team for their time in Peru.

 

III. Research

   The research will comprise of enhancing a long-term longitudinal study and/or developing individual research projects that align with both student interest and clinic needs. Students will contact the clinic early in the planning process to discuss specific clinical and epidemiological factors that might better guide the direction of their project. Students will then be expected to work together with a faculty advisor to formulate hypotheses and procedures for conducting their work.

   Over the past three summers students have collected data on general patient demographics, public health issues, clinical pathologies, and specific pathologies (leshmaniasis and pterygium) that were hypothesized to disproportionately afflict indigent patients in this geographical region. Future research directions may build upon this data or follow novel ideas.

 

IV. Clinic Details

   A.  Hospital

   La Casa Hogar del Campesino is a hospital located in downtown Cuzco, Peru. It is operated by PRODEIN (Promotora del Desarrollo Integral del Hombre), the human rights branch of the Catholic Order, Lumen Dei. The hospital serves the indigent population of the Cuzco region of the Andes, providing the only access to health care for the majority of the rural population. Each day, the hospital provides free care to over 150 patients with the following services: internal medicine, general surgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology, radiology, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, physical therapy, and in-house lab work and pharmacy. In addition to its substantial daily flow of outpatients, the hospital has 40 beds for inpatient care.

   The hospital is staffed by a core group of nuns and physicians as well as rotating volunteer physicians from Latin America, the United States, and Europe. In addition to treating patients, these physicians are accustomed to teaching international students who visit the hospital for clinical experiences. Students are encouraged to participate in all aspects of patient care, from physical examinations to physical therapy. Every door is open to the students in this hospital.

   B.  Field Visits

   In addition to the central hospital in Cuzco, PRODEIN has two rural clinics – in the villages of Acopia and Huancaro – which serve as primary care facilities, hospices, and rehabilitation sites. Each week, the hospital sends a small health care team to an isolated village with limited access to care. This team usually consists of a physician, nurse, and a nun. The students will have the opportunity to participate in these weekly field visits, assist in establishing one-day clinics, conduct home visits, and experience practicing health care in a rural context. These opportunities will offer students direct exposure to the needs of the patients, and help them to understand healthcare outcomes within the context of social predicaments.

   C.  Program Coordination

   Students will be responsible for dividing their hospital time between research and clinical experience. Each day, part of the group will be responsible for carrying out the research project, leaving the rest of the students to rotate through the various clinical services. The logistics of this scheduling will be determined by the students before arrival at the clinic in order to maximize the time spent there. Throughout the planning process and the clinical experience, this program will be under the guidance of Sra. Amparo Munoz, coordinator of the hospital in Cusco. The students shall maintain continual communication with Sra. Amparo in order to ensure their research and clinical goals are met along with the goals of the hospital. In the hospital, the students will be supervised by Dr. Jimmy Velasquez. He will help the students to carry out their research protocol, coordinate clinical rotations, and hold periodic seminars on Peruvian healthcare.

   D.  Language

   Spanish proficiency is highly recommended. All communication with Sra. Amparo, Dr. Velsaquez, and the rest of the hospital staff will be in Spanish. The patient population speaks exclusively Spanish and Quechua (a native dialect that the hospital staff will translate to Spanish for the benefit of the students). Spanish comprehension and speaking abilities are necessary to efficiently conduct clinical research and to interact with patients and physicians. While it is not necessary that every student member be fluent, each member should have experience with the language, and at least one member should be fluent.

 

Word Documents:      Summer Research in Peru      Application Form 2008