Is global health research summer after M1 limiting for more competitive specialties?

[snowys435]

Hi Guys,

I was accepted to a global health track at my school recently and had some questions/concerns about accepting as it includes a required commitment to do research next summer. I have to decide by tonight so it would be very helpful to hear if people have thoughts on this.

1. I'm not sure I want to do global health long run. I'm interested in a bunch of different specialties like medical genetics, ID, ophthalmology/ derm. Would it be better off to do a more specific project, for instance in ophthalmology as it is more competitive? I'm sure if global health research will be unhelpful/ exclude me for more competitive fields like derm etc.

2. I am interested in a global health career in the long run, the deterrent being I don't want to be traveling a lot.Would there be fields within the U.S that I could use global health expertise in without the traveling component?

Thanks!

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[DermViser]

Is global health research summer after M1 limiting for more competitive specialties? No.

I am interested in a global health career in the long run, the deterrent being I don't want to be traveling a lot.

 

[MedWonk]

Hi Guys,

I was accepted to a global health track at my school recently and had some questions/concerns about accepting as it includes a required commitment to do research next summer. I have to decide by tonight so it would be very helpful to hear if people have thoughts on this.

1. I'm not sure I want to do global health long run. I'm interested in a bunch of different specialties like medical genetics, ID, ophthalmology/ derm. Would it be better off to do a more specific project, for instance in ophthalmology as it is more competitive? I'm sure if global health research will be unhelpful/ exclude me for more competitive fields like derm etc.

2. I am interested in a global health career in the long run, the deterrent being I don't want to be traveling a lot.Would there be fields within the U.S that I could use global health expertise in without the traveling component?

Thanks!

I don't know about your school, but the global health track at my school also focuses on immigrant and refugee healthcare in the US. We do have a large immigrant/refugee population here, so travel isn't necessarily required, but I do think they encourage you to do so. I mean, generally the people who go into the program do so because they actually have some interest in not only global health issues, but actually traveling someplace and experiencing/seeing it firsthand. These are people who usually have some interest in making international medical practice a part of their career in some way.

Global health research won't make you uncompetitive. Find something that interests you and do research in that area.

 

[snowys435]

I don't know about your school, but the global health track at my school also focuses on immigrant and refugee healthcare in the US. We do have a large immigrant/refugee population here, so travel isn't necessarily required, but I do think they encourage you to do so. I mean, generally the people who go into the program do so because they actually have some interest in not only global health issues, but actually traveling someplace and experiencing/seeing it firsthand. These are people who usually have some interest in making international medical practice a part of their career in some way.

Global health research won't make you uncompetitive. Find something that interests you and do research in that area.

global health research genuinely interests me. It's the only research I've done so far that has really truly interested me which is why i applied to the program, but down the road I just don't want to be traveling all the time. I've tried bench research in cardiology as well for several years but I realize I don't like being in a lab all the time. I did a mini research project in India last summer on attitudes towards healthcare and education and absolutely loved it. I'm generally interested in health disparity/ potentially primary care too. I would want it to be some component of my life but not be out of the country 6-8 months of the year continuously or anything though.

 

[DermViser]

global health research genuinely interests me. It's the only research I've done so far that has really truly interested me which is why i applied to the program, but down the road I just don't want to be traveling all the time. I've tried bench research in cardiology as well for several years but I realize I don't like being in a lab all the time. I did a mini research project in India last summer on attitudes towards healthcare and education and absolutely loved it. I'm generally interested in health disparity/ potentially primary care too. I would want it to be some component of my life but not be out of the country 6-8 months of the year continuously or anything though.

Dermatology at UPenn has a Global Health initiative: http://www.med.upenn.edu/globalhealth/PennDermatologyGlobalHealth.shtml

I believe they go to Botswana.

 

[deleted520651]

global health research genuinely interests me. It's the only research I've done so far that has really truly interested me which is why i applied to the program, but down the road I just don't want to be traveling all the time. I've tried bench research in cardiology as well for several years but I realize I don't like being in a lab all the time. I did a mini research project in India last summer on attitudes towards healthcare and education and absolutely loved it. I'm generally interested in health disparity/ potentially primary care too. I would want it to be some component of my life but not be out of the country 6-8 months of the year continuously or anything though.

Simply being in the program will not lock you into 6-8 months of traveling for the rest of your life. You can still decide down the road how much of your career you want to devote to traveling, even if you decide that global health will be your career. It's usually not so cut and dry like that. If you enjoy the research, then why not? It sounds like a great opportunity. However, if you know absolutely you want to do genetics, ID, ophthalmology/derm, I would say go for that. From your post though it seems that you feel more excited about spending time on global health than the others?