Course Partners
This course has emerged as a collaborative effort between a number of partners who have supported the development of the course at various stages. These partners include:
Brigham and Women's Hospital - Division of Global Health Equity
Founded in 2001, the Division of Global Health Equity (DGHE) addresses health disparities through training, education, research, and service. DGHE works in close collaboration with Partners In Health, a non-profit organization, and the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine of Harvard Medical School, and uses insights from anthropology, history, sociology, epidemiology, statistics, economics, and other social sciences to improve medical care in the world's poorest areas. Faculty from DGHE advise on the social medicine course content and also participate in teaching the course.
University of Minnesota International Medical Education and Research Program
The International Medical Education and Research Program (IMER) at the University of Minnesota is an innovative program based at the Medical School, which encourages the study of tropic diseases and international health; facilitates international elective placements for medical students; and supports faculty members who carry out medical education and research abroad. IMER promotes bi-directional exchange between the University of Minnesota and relevant organizations within both rich and poor countries. IMER has sent students to participate in the course and has also provided general oversight as the course has developed.
St. Mary's Hospital Lacor
Lacor Hospital is a 480-bed non-profit hospital located just outside of the town of Gulu, Uganda. Originally started as a small dispensary in 1959, the hospital has grown into a large referral hospital for all of Northern Uganda and a teaching hospital for Ugandan residents and medical students from Gulu University Faculty of Medicine. The hospital operates medical, obstetrics and gynaecology, surgical, pediatric, and malnutrition wards. In addition to providing tertiary care services, the hospital operates numerous outpatient clinics that aim to provide preventative care for a wide range of conditions. The hospital averages 600 inpatients at any one time and approximately 500 outpatients are seen each day. The hospital staff number approximately 1,000. In addition, the hospital operates three community health centers in outlying, rural sites. With the return of relative peace to the region in 2006, increased efforts have gone into expanding community-based healthcare. Funding for the hospital comes from the Ugandan government, private external donors, and foreign government support. The hospital aims to provide quality, accessible healthcare to all, with a special focus upon disadvantaged populations. Lacor Hospital will serve as the site for the clinical teaching in the course and also provides classroom space for the course.
Students for Equity in Health Care (SEHC) at Gulu University Faculty of Medicine
Students for Equity in Health Care (SEHC) is national student group with branches at medical schools in Gulu, Makerere, and Mbarara Universities as well as Mulago nursing and paramedical schools. Through human rights training and advocacy, SEHC chapters have raised awareness about AIDS and human rights on campus, urged the government to support health workers country wide to be able to bring the best care to their patients, and advocated successfully for the provision and availability of HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) to all patients and health care providers at Mulago Hospital in Uganda and Hepatitis B vaccine to all medical students in medical school. In addition, SEHC has enhanced the willingness of students to volunteer to provide community health and health care services in health facilities, thus increasing access to health care in underserved communities. The Gulu University School of Medicine branch of SEHC has actively participated in the curricular development of the social medicine course and conducts student-to-student advocacy training during the course.
