Hi Everyone!

Happy, Hopeful New Year!

• It's time to think about global electives for next year - July, 2020 to June, 2021. If you are planning to do a global elective at home or abroad, please make an appointment with your global advisor or email Emily, edanich@umn.edu to schedule.

• Our monthly meeting, January 14th, Tuesday will focus on the Global Burden of Childhood Cancer. Join us at 6:30 for a light dinner and discussion led by Dr. Scott Howard from the University of Tennessee. See further information below.

Hope to see you soon - on Tuesday night, January 14th if not before,

Cindy

Monthly Pediatric Global Health Track Dinner Meeting

Date & Time: Tuesday, January 14 — 6:30 p.m.—8:30 p.m.

Location: Dr. Cindy Howard's House

Topic: Global Burden of Childhood Cancer presented by Dr. Scott Howard

 GPEDS Presentation: Pediatric Oncology: A Global Health Priority

Before attending this event, please log into Canvas.umn.edu, click on the Global Pediatrics Education Series 2.0 course, take the pre-test, then click on A. Fundamentals of Global Child Health, click on Pediatric Oncology: A Global Health Priority. Watch the video, take the quiz, and come prepared to discuss.

Click here to order your dinner

Pediatric Grand Rounds

Date & Time: Wednesday, January 15 — 7:30 a.m.—8:30 a.m.

Location: Wilf Auditorium

Topic: Global Burden of Childhood Cancer presented by Dr. Scott Howard

Monthly Pediatric Global Health Track Dinner Meeting

Date & Time: Thursday, February 6 — 6:30 p.m.—8:30 p.m.

Location: Wilf 1

Topic: Neonatal Survival and Maternal Health

GPEDS Presentations: Markers of Child and Neonatal Mortality & Maternal Mortality

Before attending this event, please log into Canvas.umn.edu, click on the Global Pediatrics Education Series 2.0 course, take the pre-test, then click on A. Fundamentals of Global Child Health, click on Markers of Child and Neonatal Mortality. Watch the video, take the quiz, and come prepared to discuss.

Before attending this event, please log into Canvas.umn.edu, click on the Global Pediatrics Education Series 2.0 course, take the pre-test, then click on A. Fundamentals of Global Child Health, click on Maternal Mortality: The Promise of Progress. Watch the video, take the quiz, and come prepared to discuss.

Heidi Moline, MD, MPH - In-person Global Health Course

I entered residency with an interest in public and global health, and the strong pediatric global health program was one of the reasons I chose the University of Minnesota. The Clinical Tropical Medicine Course & Online Global Health Curriculum seemed like a fun opportunity to combine my interest in clinical medicine and infectious disease with public health. I was also fortunate to be able to take the course in the Spring of 2018, prior to my global health field work in Tanzania. 

Prior to the start of the course, there were approximately 400 hours of required video modules. With a busy resident schedule, it was a logistical challenge to watch all the content, however the topics were varied and provided a nice foundation for the in-person lecture part of the course. Many of the videos echoed topics I had learned about when studying public health and epidemiology in graduate school, and the pathogen-specific content was new and exciting.

One of the interesting aspects of the course is that the participants are from varied fields. In addition to the three categorical pediatrics residents, there were EM residents, Family Med residents, but most were internal medicine residents. As a pediatrician, there was a fair amount of content that wasn’t relevant to my patient population -- as we discussed diseases and infections that present much later in life. But being in this learning environment was a fun challenge, and helped broaden my understanding of global health. 

I believe the greatest value in the course is the model of learning. The last two weeks of the course are designed to be hands-on, applied skill-based sessions. This meant that every day we would have an hour or two of lecture, followed by practice in the lab. For example, one afternoon had a two hour lecture about the different stages of the malaria parasite life cycle. Then we went to the lab and actually looked at various blood samples under a microscope to identify the parasite stages. We had a similar learning experience with learning to use ultrasounds -- first we had a high-yield lecture, followed with immediate hands-on practice. I found this an incredibly inspiring model of learning, and appreciated the effort that goes into making this happen. 

Because of the course content, I was more familiar with tropical illness and methods of treatment during my time in Arusha, Tanzania, and felt comfortable developing a geographically appropriate differential diagnosis with my patients. I do believe there is a need for more pediatric-specific content within the course, but I think the organizers do an appropriate job prioritizing content for a wide array of clinicians. Overall, it was a great learning experience and provided a solid foundation to my global health work. 

Favorite quote: "To be deeply loved by someone gives you strength, but to love someone deeply gives you courage." ~Esther Huertas

Favorite travel destination: Varadero, Cuba

What the world needs more of: Laughter

If you weren't a physician you would be: Chef and food blogger