Elective Clinical Clerkships

The following electives have been developed and are run by Yale faculty:

• Internal Medicine - Mulago Hospital / Makerere University, Uganda
• Surgery – Mwandi Hospital, Zambia
• Internal Medicine - Cordoba, Argentina
• Internal Medicine -Tugela Ferry, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Internal Medicine - Mulago Hospital / Makerere University, Uganda

Drs. Asghar Rastegar and Majid Sadigh, Department of Internal Medicine, have started collaboration with Mulago Hospital and Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The affiliation between Yale and Makerere University places Yale attendings and residents at Mulago Hospital throughout the year, funded through the Yale/Johnson & Johnson Scholars in International Health Program. Yale medical students are now able to arrange clerkships at Mulago, working with both the Makerere and Yale faculty.

For more information, contact Majid.Sadigh@yale.edu or Asghar.Rastegar@yale.edu.

Surgery – Mwandi Hospital, Zambia

Dr. Michael O’Brien, Department of Surgery, makes an annual two-week trip to the village of Mwandi, on the Zambezi River in southwest Zambia, volunteering in the local Mwandi Hospital, a 50-bed rural facility. In 2007, Dr. O’Brien started taking one fourth/fifth year medical student with him to assist in general surgical and medicine responsibilities. The student must have completed both surgical and medicine clerkships and express a strong interest in international health. Costs are subsidized in part by The Yale Surgical Society, but students are expected to contribute.

More information will be distributed in the fall, and questions may be directed to Michael.Obrien@yale.edu.

Internal Medicine - Cordoba, Argentina

Dr. Marcelo Orias and others in the Department of Nephrology are committed to working collaboratively with Yale faculty to develop an exciting academic and intensive language based experience for Yale medical students. Students will participate in rounds on the dialysis unit with the medical team, attend outpatient clinics, as well as rounds on the in-patient service units. In addition, there may be opportunities to observe and compare clinical activities at other community based public hospitals.

For more information, contact Dr. Marcelo Orias, orias@uolsinectis.com, and Dr. Eve Colson, eve.colson@yale.edu.

Internal Medicine - Tugela Ferry, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Dr. Gerald Friedland Although TB is the leading cause of death among HIV-infected patients in South Africa, care of the two diseases has been separate, leading to fragmented patient care and suboptimal patient outcomes. Dr. Gerald Friedland has worked on projects integrating care for HIV and TB and this is the focus of collaborative operational research projects in KwaZulu Natal. In addition, the discovery of XDR TB has been a focus of more recent investigation. The site affords a genuine rural African experience. While students will have protective gear to wear during clinical experiences at Tugela Ferry, students must consider that XDR TB is a potentially fatal disease. In particular, any student who may be immune compromised should not consider this site for a clinical rotation.

For more information, contact Dr. Gerald Friedland, gerald.friedland@yale.edu.