Program Reviews

CFHI provides a nice organized introduction into big issues in health care in Uganda and East Africa. If you have any interest in HIV/AIDs, tropical medicine, maternal child health issues, food insecurity and undernutrition, you will learn from this program. Even better, you learn almost exclusively from Ugandans while there. Their vision for health and progress in their country is awe-inspiring and the CFHI program is a wonderful opportunity for students to both participate and contribute as they work on meeting their goals. Healthcare in Africa is extremely complicated, but the doctors and medical workers I learned from in Uganda have cultivated an ability to step back and see the big picture. They helped me to see how interconnected all of the pieces of healthcare are. One patient in particular drove this home for me--we treated a young malnourished child with HIV on an outreach day in a village, then brought her back to town to treat her malnourishment with refeeding and engaged her and her mother in a program to teach them to improve their farming practices and access to food near their home. I was so impressed with the capability of a clinic with minimal resources overall to tackle these gigantic problems in such a holistic way. I hop that after seeing such great examples of program planning and implementation that I will be able to take some of that forward into developing my own clinical practice in the future.

I attended the Reproductive Health Program through CFHI for 8 weeks in Oct-November 2010. I initially chose this program because I had a strong background in Women's Health and health outreach; my career goal going into the program was to do diagnostic imaging (Radiologic Technology, Ultrasound).

My 2 month experience in Quito, Ecuador was rich in so many ways. On the daily, my favorite parts were the conversations (Spanish only) and stories shared between my host mother and I, purchasing Mote from our neighborhood food vendor (Mote is corn and potatoes= Quechua comfort food), and my rotations through the clinic or hospital assigned to me that week.

Not only did I learn a TON of Spanish at the language school provided through CFHI, but I learned how to best communicate with the locals in Quito simply by participating in the social scene. I made a few friends in the city who took me to art museums, quaint neighborhoods with hip scenes, hikes up volcanic peaks and concerts in the park. There are several artisan markets in the New and Old sections of Quito that provide local goods and crafts and offer the perfect opportunity to practice your Spanish.

The medical rotations really expanded my awareness of the education level and cultural attitudes toward reproductive health in latin america. I was allowed to interact more with patients during exams and visits the better my Spanish was, so as it improved over the weeks I was getting a whole lot more experience that enhanced my ability to be a healthcare practitioner. Currently i am a registered Radiologic Technologist, having just graduated from an x-ray tech program. The knowledge and insight I gained from immersing myself in Ecuador's health system for 2 months greatly affects how I interact with my patients here in the states, for I am more aware of cultural beliefs and customs re: health that I was ignorant to before attending this program.

I can't say the program aided me in developing hands-on techniques because I was studying diagnostic imaging, but what I took away from it was a wealth of understanding and new perspective on healthcare in a country with varied funding and social approaches to healthcare than what we have in the U.S. I highly recommend any program through CFHI because what you gain while you're there and what will stay with you as a healthcare provider cannot be quantified in monetary terms. It's worth it!

This past April I participated in the CFHI Maternal and Child Health program in Pune, India. The experience from the day I was accepted into the program until the day I returned from India was wonderful. CFHI kept in contact with me throughout the many months before the program began. I received program information via mail and email, and felt very comfortable heading out to Pune.

I was the only person in the program during that month, but the program directors in Pune and in the States made sure that I was doing well throughout the entire trip. I felt very supported during my time over there. Each morning I met with the program director to discuss either the rotation I'd be going to that day or some interesting cultural information about India.

The rotation was set up so that each week I worked with a different obstetrician or pediatrician in both hospital and outpatient settings. Every morning I would go to the hospital or office and observe the physician during their normal day of clinic or hospital rounds. I was even able to assist in a few surgeries and deliveries.

I also was able to work in a rural clinic outside of Pune during my third week. The rural clinic was one of my favorite experiences. On the morning that we went there we picked up four residents from the local medical college and drove about 3 hours outside of the city. The mountains were beautiful and it felt wonderful to be outside of the noise and busyness of the city for a while. When we arrived at the clinic a crowd of people were already waiting there for us. I was able to work with both a pediatrician and an obstetrician during the morning. We saw over 60 patients, and by the time we were finished we all were exhausted, but satisfied that we were able to see everyone who came.

I enjoyed talking and spending time with my host family as well. They made sure that I had more than my share of the great Indian food, and was able to experience many of the wonderful places around Pune on my evenings and weekends off. I am grateful that I was able to participate in an Indian wedding, climb one of the nearby mountains, see multiple temples throughout the city, and visit the historical Buddhist caves. Coming home after my four week stay I can say that I feel more informed both about the health care system and the culture of this beautiful country. I can't wait to return.