I think I want to get an MD (perhaps an MD/MPH), but I am also interested in working internationally in underserved areas, perhaps with an NGO or a nonprofit. Which specialities would be best for this kind of work?
Best speciality for global health work?
- Thread starter sarmatrac
- Start date
D
deleted407021
Any kind of physician can do this work, but the broader primary care specialties with an MPH seem like the best logical choices.
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2011
- Messages
- 28,818
- Reaction score
- 55,101
ID
- Joined
- May 17, 2010
- Messages
- 3,431
- Reaction score
- 145
Family medicine, pediatrics, or possibly med/peds are popular choices.
The only issue I see with ID, especially in resource poor settings, is being unable to properly culture a pathogen and then properly treat it. Many field hospitals tend to just have a handful of antibiotics to treat with so while ID would appear to make sense, there's not a whole lot that an ID specialist can do- I met an ID specialist working at a field hospital in Uganda, and while she was able to give a few really good possibilities for an unknown case, there wasn't really much else she could do. I don't see why a partnership between an ID specialist in any country can't just use telemedicine or the internet/cell phones to communicate with the other doctors and help figure out what the best course of treatment is.
On the flip side, there was a huge need for other specialists rather than generalists. Hospitals are in dire need for obstetricians/gynecologists, general surgeons, pediatricians, and even orthopedic surgeons
