Global Health in Residency

Resident Global Health Elective

Residents in the University of Wisconsin Emergency Medicine Residency Program have the ability to participate in global health opportunities during their PGY-2 and PGY-3 year.

Residents have traveled to Guatemala, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, as well as remote areas of Alaska and New Mexico to work with indigenous populations.

Our department awards supplemental scholarships to support residents with international travel and expenses. In additon, residents may apply for funding through the UW Graduate Medical Education Committee. This funding includes a resident’s monthly salary and benefits, as well as medical and indemnification insurances through UW–Madison.

Resident Conference Didactics

Our Global Health fellows and faculty have given a number of presentations during the Department of Emergency Medicine conferences, held weekly on Thursdays.

Fundamentals of Global Health Course

This Graduate Medical Education course is held each fall and provides two weeks of intensive global health training for residents and fellows across UW SMPH departments.

The first week is multidisciplinary, bringing together trainees from Pediatrics, Ob-Gyn, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Emergency Medicine to share diverse perspectives and build connections. Participants engage in discussions, case-based learning, simulations, procedural training, and didactics led by global health faculty and visiting experts.

Global Health Pre-Departure Course

Dr. Schmidt leads the interdisciplinary Pre-departure Short Course, which prepares postgraduate trainees across the UW School of Medicine and Public Health for GME-sponsored global health electives and is typically offered three times each academic year.

Sessions cover key considerations for short-term global health work, including preparation and packing, ethics and best practices, cultural awareness and professionalism, adapting clinical care to limited resources, and protocols for blood-borne pathogen exposure.