horrible to mention global health in PS w/o traveling abroad?

[caffeineaholic]

A good chunk of my personal statement is about global health since I'm really interested in it and addressing international health issues is one of my motivating factors for wanting to become a physician.

However, I haven't traveled abroad or had any international clinical experience. Due to my lack of physical exposure to the conditions in developing countries, will ad-coms automatically consider my interest in global health as being weak and thus think it's a horrible reason to even mention as contributing to my interest in medicine?

I've done a lot of other activities to educate myself about global health issues, including taking multiple public health courses focused exclusively on developing countries. I performed malaria research at the NIH. I've written a policy brief on implementing malaria drugs (and now have enough knowledge about WHO essential medicines and drug procurement to talk about it). I 've been in a student group working on improving access to drugs for infectious diseases and have good knowledge about intellectual property rights and their effect on drug prices and drug access. I've gone to conferences and spoke with numerous people who perform medical abroad or who work in the US on international health issues.

If asked, I can talk about global health-related info, like the WHO, UN MDGs, Alma Ata, primary healthcare, drug demand forecasting, etc.

However, I have not personally seen people dying of AIDS or suffering from malarial fevers. I have not held dying African babies in my hands. Or anything like that.

I actually planned to volunteer internationally earlier this summer and was working the logistics of the trip when I had incurred a severe injury. So rather than working in an AIDS clinic in May, I had to relearn how to walk instead.

I realize that in comparision to those who have worked abroad significantly, or especially Peace Corps + MPH applicants, my interest in global health won't seem nearly as strong. However, is stating an interest in global health with a lack of international volunteering as detrimental as it would be to state an interest in clinical medicine with a lack of shadowing/hospital volunteering?

Please give me your input!

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[shantster]

Since you did other things related to global health, you could focus on those as why you want to go into it. Obviously, I'd be prepared for questions related to your lack of experience traveling abroad, but I think that telling them that you had a personal situation that prevented you from doing so when you planned to, I think that you'd be ok.

 

[alwaysaangel]

I don't think a good chunk of your PS should be about global health even if you did travel abroad. Focus on YOURSELF. Toss in YOUR interest in global health, YOUR activities in relation to it, and how it affects YOUR career.

There shouldn't be anything about global health on its own.

 

[gorey1]

If you have extensive experience with global health related issues despite travel abroad, I think it's fine to mention them in your PS.

That said, why not travel abroad in the following year? You don't necessarily have to do global health work, but when you find vacation time and and (some) money, you should certainly plan a trip abroad, whether it be a 10 day trip to southern Mexico or several months backpacking in Southeast Asia. Travelling is a great and fun way to learn about other cultures and practice languages. If you are interested in global health issues, it might be personally fulfilling to see parts of the world where many people are affected by diseases such as malaria.

(On an unrelated note, the current issue of National Geographic contains an interesting front-cover article re: malaria.)

 

[uzybear]

i think it's pretty sharp of you to see that without experience you couldn't know what it's really like, but if it's your interest, then tell them; be direct and passionate, confidant, prepared