Essential Guide for MD Graduates: Researching Global Health Residencies

Understanding What “Global Health” Really Means in Residency

Many MD graduates interested in international medicine quickly discover that “global health residency” is not a single, uniform pathway. Programs use different labels—global health residency track, international medicine, global health equity, underserved populations, immigrant health, or global surgery—and each can mean something slightly different.

Before you start deep program research, clarify what you mean by global health and what you want your training to look like.

Common models of global health training in residency

Most opportunities fall into one or more of these structures:

1. Global Health Track within a Residency

   • A formal track layered on top of a standard residency (e.g., Internal Medicine with a Global Health track).
   • Usually includes:
     • Special curriculum (seminars, journal clubs, capstone projects)
     • Faculty mentorship in global health
     • Structured international or domestic underserved rotations
     • Sometimes funding for travel, conferences, or scholarly work

2. Residency Programs with Global Health Emphasis but No Formal Track

   • Programs that regularly send residents abroad or serve global populations locally.
   • May have:
     • Long-standing partnerships with hospitals or NGOs overseas
     • Strong refugee/immigrant health clinics in their home city
     • Faculty experienced in global health, even if not branded as a “track”

3. Dedicated Global Health or International Medicine Fellowships (Post-Residency)

   • Not residency, but important to think ahead.
   • Some residencies are well-known feeder programs into prestigious global health fellowships.
   • A residency may be strong even if its “track” isn’t formalized, as long as it sets you up well for post-residency global health work.

4. Global Surgery and Specialty-Specific Global Health

   • For procedural specialties (surgery, OB/GYN, anesthesia, EM, pediatrics, etc.):
     • Look for programs with explicit global surgery or global maternal-child health pathways.
     • These often include:
       • International mission trips or capacity-building rotations
       • Training in resource-limited settings
       • Collaboration with NGOs and ministries of health

Clarify your own global health priorities

Before you dive into evaluating residency programs, answer these questions honestly:

• Scope of work:

  • Do you want to work primarily abroad, domestically with global populations, or both?
  • Are you aiming for short-term trips, longitudinal partnerships, or career-long overseas work?

• Type of impact:

  • Direct clinical care vs. systems change (policy, health systems, implementation science).
  • Focus on:
    • Infectious diseases
    • Non-communicable diseases
    • Maternal and child health
    • Conflict and humanitarian response
    • Health equity and social determinants of health

• Training needs:

  • Do you want:
    • A lot of protected time for global health activities?
    • Formal didactics and a certificate or degree (e.g., MPH)?
    • Mentoring for academic careers (research, publications, teaching)?
    • Preparation for NGOs, WHO, or policy/advocacy roles?

Being specific about your goals will shape your program research strategy—it guides what questions to ask and how to interpret what programs advertise.

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Step 1: Build a Target List Using Public Databases

To research residency programs efficiently as an MD graduate interested in global health, start with broad, reliable sources. Then refine.

Use official program databases first

1. FREIDA (AMA Residency & Fellowship Database)

   • Filter by:
     • Specialty (e.g., Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, OB/GYN, Surgery, etc.)
     • Geographic region and program size
   • Many programs list:
     • Global health tracks
     • International electives
     • Affiliated degrees (MPH, MSc in Global Health)

   Action step:

   • Export or list 15–30 programs that:
     • Offer a global health track, or
     • Mention “international medicine” / “global” / “underserved” in their program description.

2. ERAS / NRMP Program Directory

   • Check program descriptions and linked websites.
   • Look for:
     • “Global Health Track”
     • “International rotations”
     • “International partnerships”
     • “Refugee health” or “immigrant health”

3. Allopathic Medical School Match Data

   • Review match lists from allopathic medical schools known for global health (e.g., schools with strong global health departments).
   • Look where recent MD graduate residency matches went if they had global or international interests.
   • Public match lists can give insight into:
     • Which programs consistently attract globally minded residents.
     • How realistic certain programs may be as targets.

Use global health–specific resources

1. Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH)

   • Many member institutions have structured global health pathways.
   • Identify institutions with global health centers, and cross-reference with their residency programs.

2. Program websites and affiliated global health centers

   • Many universities have:
     • “Center for Global Health,” “Global Surgery Institute,” or “Global Health Equity Center.”
   • Explore:
     • Faculty bios
     • International projects
     • Education tracks and certificates

3. Professional societies

   • Examples:
     • American College of Physicians (ACP) global health section
     • American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Global Health
     • Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) global health interest group
     • Global Emergency Medicine organizations, etc.
   • These often list:
     • Training opportunities
     • Model programs
     • Contacts for mentoring

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Step 2: Deep Dive into Program Websites and Materials

Once you have a preliminary list, the next step in how to research residency programs is a structured, detailed review of each program’s materials.

What to look for on program websites

Create a simple spreadsheet (or note document) with columns such as:

• Program name and location
• Specialty
• Type of global health opportunity:
  • Formal track? (Y/N)
  • International rotations? (Y/N)
  • Domestic underserved focus?
• Global health curriculum details
• Faculty with global health interest
• Research and scholarly opportunities
• Funding and protected time
• Alumni outcomes
• Overall “fit” score (1–5)

As you explore each site, look for:

1. Global health track structure

   • Is it a clearly described global health residency track or just a loose description?
   • Ask:
     • How many residents per year participate?
     • Is it competitive/limited, or open to anyone?
     • When do you apply—during application, intern year, or later?

2. International rotations and partnerships

   • Where are the sites? (e.g., Africa, Latin America, Asia, rural US border regions)
   • Are they long-standing partnerships or one-off mission trips?
   • How is supervision structured? Is there:
     • Local partner leadership?
     • Sustainable, capacity-building focus?
   • What’s the typical duration (2 weeks vs. 4–12 weeks)?

3. Domestic global health and immigrant/refugee care

   • Does the program serve:
     • Large immigrant or refugee populations?
     • Undocumented patients?
     • Travel clinics or international adoptee clinics?
   • Look for:
     • partnerships with resettlement agencies
     • mobile clinics
     • homeless health initiatives

4. Curriculum and didactics

   • Is there a dedicated global health curriculum?
     • Topics like:
       • Tropical medicine
       • Health systems
       • Ethics of international work
       • Global mental health
       • Humanitarian crises
   • Is there a formal certificate (e.g., “Certificate in Global Health”) or integrated MPH option?

5. Scholarly and research opportunities

   • Look for:
     • Resident publications or abstracts in global health.
     • Ongoing projects in implementation science, epidemiology, or health policy.
   • Check:
     • Are residents first or co-authors?
     • Are projects longitudinal (multi-year partnerships)?

6. Resources and support

   • Does the residency provide:
     • Funding for travel or conference presentations?
     • Protected time for global health activities?
     • Formal mentorship with experienced faculty?
   • Are there bi-directional exchanges—do foreign trainees or faculty visit the US site?

Red flags and green flags for global health–minded MD graduates

Green flags:

• Long-standing, clearly described global partnerships with named institutions.
• Emphasis on local leadership and capacity-building, not just “medical missions.”
• Clear structure for global health track:
  • Defined expectations (number of electives, scholarly project, seminars).
  • Dedicated faculty and leadership.
• Evidence of graduates working in:
  • Global health fellowships
  • NGOs
  • International academic positions
  • Domestic leadership roles in health equity

Red flags:

• Vague mentions like “residents have gone on mission trips” without details.
• Overly “voluntourism” language: “short missions,” “help the less fortunate,” with no mention of partnership or sustainability.
• No faculty with visible global health expertise or academic output.
• No mention of funding—implying residents pay out-of-pocket for everything.

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Step 3: Evaluate Program Fit Beyond Just “Global Health”

Even as you focus on evaluating residency programs for global health, you must not neglect the core training. A strong global health track cannot compensate for weak foundational residency training.

Clinical training quality comes first

Ask these questions as you compare programs:

• Breadth and depth of pathology:

  • Does the program serve a diverse patient population?
  • Are you seeing complex, high-acuity cases that will prepare you for resource-limited settings?

• Procedural/clinical skills:

  • For EM, internal medicine, surgery, OB/GYN, pediatrics, etc.:
    • Will you graduate confident in procedures relevant to global work?
    • Example: C-sections, basic trauma management, ultrasound, resuscitation, inpatient medicine.

• Autonomy and supervision balance:

  • Global health often demands independent decision-making in low-resource environments.
  • Does the program foster progressive responsibility?

Consider your long-term career trajectory

Your program research strategy should integrate long-term planning:

• Are you aiming eventually for:
  • Academic global health (research and teaching)?
  • NGO or humanitarian work (e.g., MSF, Partners In Health)?
  • Policy/WHO/CDC-type careers?
  • Clinical practice in resource-limited US settings?

Depending on your goals:

• Academic focus:
  • Look for residency programs with:
    • Robust research infrastructure
    • PhD/MPH faculty involvement
    • Grant-supported global health projects
• NGO/humanitarian focus:
  • Look for:
    • Strong training in emergency and acute care
    • Experience in refugee health, disaster response, or conflict settings
• Domestic underserved/global populations:
  • Prioritize:
    • FQHC partnerships
    • Urban or rural safety-net hospitals
    • Community engagement and advocacy training

Geographic and lifestyle considerations matter too

You will be living in the program’s city for 3–7 years. Consider:

• Cost of living and your financial reality.
• Proximity to family or support networks.
• Whether the local population provides “global health at home” opportunities (e.g., major immigrant communities).
• Climate, transportation, and work-life balance.

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Step 4: Use People and Networks to Get Inside Information

Program websites tell only part of the story. To deeply understand how to research residency programs for global health, you must talk to people.

Tap into your existing network

1. Home institution faculty

   • Global health faculty in:
     • Internal Medicine
     • Pediatrics
     • Family Medicine
     • EM, OB/GYN, Surgery, etc.
   • Ask:
     • “Which programs have strong global health residency tracks?”
     • “Where have your mentees with similar interests matched?”
     • “Do you know faculty at programs I’m considering?”

2. Recent graduates and residents

   • Review your school’s alumni network and recent match lists.
   • Reach out to:
     • MD graduate residency alumni currently in programs you’re considering.
   • Sample email structure:
     • Introduce yourself and your global health interests.
     • Mention you’re researching programs in their specialty.
     • Ask for a 15–20 minute conversation to learn about:
       • Real workload
       • Global health opportunities
       • Culture and support

Ask targeted questions during conversations

When you connect with current residents or faculty, go beyond “Do you like your program?” and ask specifics:

1. About the track itself

   • How competitive is the global health track?
   • How many residents actually get to do international electives?
   • Are electives guaranteed or contingent on funding and approvals?
   • How much protected time do you have for global health work?

2. About culture and support

   • Are residents with global health interests supported or seen as “distracted”?
   • Is there flexibility in schedules to accommodate electives or conferences?
   • How approachable are global health faculty?

3. About real-world outcomes

   • Where have recent track graduates ended up?
     • Global health fellowships?
     • Academic positions?
     • NGOs or field-based roles?
   • Did the program’s branding match reality?

4. About workload and feasibility

   • Are residents too overworked to realistically pursue global health activities?
   • How is call schedule handled when residents go abroad?
   • Is there a burden on co-residents when someone is away on global rotations?

Use national and international conferences

If you have time before applying:

• Attend conferences such as:
  • CUGH
  • Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) with global health sessions
  • Specialty-specific global health meetings (e.g., global EM, global surgery)
• Strategy:
  • Visit posters or talks given by residents.
  • Ask presenters:
    • “How did your residency support this work?”
    • “What has your experience been in your global health track?”

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Step 5: Prioritize and Finalize Your Application Strategy

By this point, you’ve gathered substantial information. The last step is translating all that into a coherent, realistic application plan.

Tier your programs

For each program, assign it to one of three categories:

1. Top-tier global health fit

   • Strong global health track or consistent global opportunities.
   • Excellent general clinical training.
   • Clear alignment with your specific interests (e.g., global surgery, migrant health).
   • Strong mentorship and alumni outcomes.

2. Moderate global health exposure

   • Some international electives or domestic underserved focus.
   • Decent but not extensive structure for global health.
   • Good clinical training and overall fit.

3. Minimal but flexible

   • Little formal global health structure.
   • However, program seems supportive of resident-initiated projects.
   • Strong core training, potentially followed by a robust global health fellowship.

Aim for a balanced list across competitiveness levels, using overall program reputation, board pass rates, and your application strength to calibrate.

Align your personal story with your target programs

Your application should reflect a coherent narrative:

• Demonstrate:

  • Prior global health or cross-cultural experience (if you have it).
  • Commitment to health equity, public health, or community engagement.
  • Understanding of ethical, sustainable international work.

• In personal statements:

  • Avoid exoticizing language or “saviorism.”
  • Highlight:
    • Humility
    • Long-term partnership orientation
    • Willingness to learn from local colleagues

• In interviews:

  • Ask specific questions about:
    • Track logistics
    • How the program supports residents’ international or domestic global work
    • Examples of recent resident projects

Re-evaluate fit after interviews

Post-interview, update your spreadsheet:

• Score each program 1–5 on:
  • Global health opportunities
  • Clinical training quality
  • Mentorship
  • Culture and support
  • Personal and lifestyle fit

Use these scores to guide your rank list, remembering that:

• A slightly less “famous” program with excellent global health mentorship and support may be better than a top-name institution where global health is peripheral.
• Your goal is sustainable, long-term engagement in global health, not just an impressive program name.

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Practical Example: Comparing Two Hypothetical Programs

Imagine you are an MD graduate evaluating two Internal Medicine programs:

Program A: “Global Health Track” at a Mid-Sized University

• One faculty leads the track; several others have intermittent international work.
• International elective in a partner hospital in East Africa, 4 weeks in PGY-2 or PGY-3.
• Limited funding; residents often rely on external scholarships.
• Curriculum: monthly global health seminar, optional project.
• Alumni: a few have pursued global health fellowships, several work in safety-net hospitals.

Program B: “Global Health Equity Pathway” at a Large Academic Center

• Multiple faculty with long-term projects in Latin America and Asia.
• Dedicated center for global health with research staff.
• International electives in several sites, some with 8–12-week options.
• Funding available for at least one elective; clear administrative support.
• Curriculum: formal 2-year track, scholarly requirement, certificate in global health.
• Alumni: regularly match into top global health fellowships; some hold global faculty positions.

How to decide?

• If your goal is an academic global health career, Program B likely offers more structure, mentorship, and visibility.
• If you value being a big fish in a smaller pond, Program A could allow more leadership and autonomy, especially if you’re proactive.
• Weigh other factors:
  • Location and cost of living
  • Family support
  • Clinical exposure and reputation in your desired subspecialty

This kind of structured, side-by-side comparison is exactly how to make your program research strategy practical and actionable.

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FAQs: Researching Global Health–Focused Residency Programs

1. Do I have to match into a “global health residency track” to work in international medicine later?
No. Many leaders in international medicine trained in standard residencies without formal tracks. What matters most is:

• Excellent core clinical training.
• Ongoing engagement with global or health equity issues (research, electives, advocacy).
• Strong mentorship and networking. A formal global health residency track is helpful but not mandatory if you are proactive and later pursue a global health fellowship or MPH.

2. How can an MD graduate with limited prior global health experience become a competitive applicant?
Focus on:

• Demonstrated commitment to underserved or marginalized populations (domestic or international).
• Involvement in public health, advocacy, or research projects related to health equity.
• Clear, reflective articulation of why global health matters to you and what you’ve learned from your experiences so far. Programs evaluate your trajectory and insight, not just passport stamps.

3. Is it risky to emphasize global health interests too strongly in my application?
It depends on the program. For programs with strong global health or international medicine identities, your interest is an asset. For others, they may worry you’ll be distracted or plan to leave clinical practice. Mitigate this by:

• Emphasizing your commitment to being an excellent clinician first.
• Framing global health as complementary to core training, not a replacement.
• Highlighting how your skills will benefit both local and global patients.

4. What if the program I love has no formal global health track?
You can still:

• Seek out faculty with international or health equity interests and ask for mentorship.
• Design your own scholarly or QI projects with global or cross-cultural angles.
• Use electives at outside institutions (if allowed) or domestic “global health at home” experiences.
• Plan for a structured global health fellowship or MPH after residency. A flexible, supportive program with strong core training may still be an excellent choice.

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By approaching this process systematically—understanding your goals, leveraging public data, scrutinizing programs’ real global health commitments, and using networks for deeper insight—you can identify residency options that will genuinely advance your future in global health. Your residency years will shape your skills, values, and opportunities; investing time now in careful program research is one of the most strategic decisions you can make as an MD graduate entering this field.