Program in Liberal Medical Education
International Programs
As a PLME student, there are several international exchange programs that you may become involved with.
International Programs
As a PLME student, there are several international exchange programs that you may become involved with.
International Exchanges
As a PLME student, there are several international exchange programs that you may become involved with, some with funding and others that you have to fund yourself.
An exchange program involves medical students from our exchange school coming to take clinical electives at The Warren Alpert Medical School with "tuition waived." In exchange, PLME students may elect to have tuition waived for projects, courses or research at the exchange institution.
The Warren Alpert Medical School supports international exchange programs in 12 countries.
Exchange Countries
| Language Requirement: | Courses taught in English – no German language requirement |
|---|---|
| Eligibility: | Currently enrolled PLME and students from Alpert Medical School |
| Enrollment Limit: | Up to 15 |
| Tuition: | No charge to Brown students |
| Travel Expenses: |
Each student is responsible for all travel expenses to/from and within Germany |
|
Rostock, Germany: June 3-14, 2024 |
|
|---|---|
| Rostock University Faculty of Medicine | BIOL 6510 - Growing Old – Aging and its Medical Challenges: Provide students with cross-cultural perspectives on medical topics such as aging in the US and Germany contexts. During the morning seminars, specialists in aging provide information on the physiology of aging and on prominent diseases afflicting the elderly such as hypertension and diabetes. During the afternoon, students undertake field trips, labs, and visits to institutions of aging as well as engage in cultural activities. |
| Rostock Housing | Off-campus housing and provided by Rostock |
| Rostock Meals | Small stipend provided by Rostock |
| Tuebingen, Germany: June 17 - 28, 2024 | |
| Eberhard Karls University | BIOL 6511-Comparative Medical Ethics The goal of this intensive two-week seminar is to bring pre-medical and medical students from Brown and Tuebingen together to discuss ethical issues of medical practice in a comparative perspective. The seminar will consist of small group discussions and study periods, and will include the students preparing short presentations for the group sessions. By comparing different ethical standards and positions from the US, Germany, and selected other countries, the students will not only receive a basic training in medical ethics but also get a sense for the cultural relativity of moral reasoning, the co-existence of alternative and competing ethical frameworks, calibrated to different civilizational traditions and socio-political conditions. The participants will be offered clinical cases to discuss the implications of different ethical positions. The seminar will be highly interactive to induce a stimulating exchange of ideas and arguments between the medical students from the US and Germany. |
| Tuebingen Housing | Rooms booked at a nearby youth hostel (breakfast included). |
| Tuebingen Meals | Stipend for food at commissary. |
The PLME summer exchange to National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan, Taiwan will take place from August 4-17, 2024. The application is due on April 1, 2024.
CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE NCKU 2024 APPLICATION.
Note: The China exchange will not take place this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. We hope to resume this program at a later date. Please contact us if you have any questions about this program.
Global Health Initiative
With current projects and programs in 33 countries -- 28 of which are in developing countries -- Brown is particularly well-positioned to expand and to accelerate these efforts through the Global Health Initiative. The Initiative encompasses a wide range of practitioners and researchers across medicine, public health, biomedical research, social science, and engineering to provide sustainable solutions in partnership with communities and institutions in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. The Initiative was inaugurated with a symposium in September 2009, and Susan Cu-Uvin, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and medicine is its inaugural director. The Program supports scholarships for students and medical trainees, and provides funding for faculty who are developing coursework that brings global health content to bear on the subject matter of the course.
The International Opportunities Roadmap will provide you with assistance in how to find an international health opportunity.
NOTE: Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be one of the most common infections in the world. It is important to understand your risk of TB infection while working or traveling abroad.
Funding
- International Health Travel Scholarships (IHTS)
- Approximately ten (10) scholarships of $500 are awarded annually in March to PLME undergraduate students to support travel to international locations to pursue educational experiences, such as attending summer seminars, conferences, programs, or research that will benefit the students' professional development. The deadline for submission of an application is February 14. Information is emailed to student listservs.
- NOTE: Students applying for the Traditional Chinese Medicine programs at Zhejiang University, China or NCKU, Taiwan CANNOT apply for IHTS.
- Brown University offers a variety of funding opportunities for students interested in global health. Begin your search for funding at the International Health Institute Funding Opportunities page.
Insurance Abroad
Brown Students must arrange their own health insurance while abroad either through their own personal health insurance, or purchased through Brown. Brown students are also provided a comprehensive membership plan (not health insurance), as a medical resource while abroad accessed through International SOS. Further info for Brown students going abroad can be found on the Office of International Programs website.
Other Options
There are also programs that PLME undergraduates may participate in located in the following countries which are not "exchange" programs:
- Cambodia
- China Beijing International Acupuncture Training Center: PLME students to spend one month in cultural emersion, foundations of acupuncture and TCM, and practical integration. Possible funding through the Luke Charitable Trust
- Dominican Republic
- Ghana
- Honduras
- India