VCOM - Medical Missions D.O./Ph.D. Program

Global Health Leadership
Fellowship Program D.O./Ph.D.

The students in the inaugural D.O./Ph.D. program will be graduating in 2007.

Program Overview:

The International and Public Health Fellowship program is offered by the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The program is offered after the medical student completes the third year of the doctorate of osteopathic medicine degree program. The student enters a specialty track for a fourth and fifth year, completing both the remaining requirements of the osteopathic program and the required rotations of the fellowship.

The program is designed to give the student significant real world experience in addressing the health needs of disadvantaged populations from a population or community perspective. The program provides the opportunity for students to acquire the skills to evaluate the health of an underserved community or region, design an effective health intervention, implement the plan and evaluate the effectiveness. The student must address a significant public health issue applying principles that may be duplicated in an international or Appalachian region.

While completing the fellowship, the student must also enroll in classes within Virginia Tech to enhance their experience and receive a dual degree (D.O./ M.S. or D.O. /Ph.D.).

The program is committed to improving health for underserved populations through access, affordable health services, and effective public health programming. The student is expected to focus their studies on a significant global health issue that causes morbidity and mortality in developing countries or Appalachia. Some of the topics addressed include: HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and vector borne diseases, tobacco use, illicit drug use, obesity (Appalachia), nutritional disorders, child health issues, environmental health, parasites, and water borne diseases.

The student must perform research of the current evidence-based medical knowledge and comparative programs and their successes. The student must then choose their program based on an identified need during their immersion experience.

The D.O. Global Health Fellowship track is outlined is below:

Health and Medical Spanish Immersion Program Orientation	1 month	September
International Health El Salvador experience: Pediatric and Rural Health in Disadvantaged Populations	1 month*	October- December
International Health Honduras experience: Womens Health and Primary Care in Disadvantaged Populations	1 month*	October- December
International Health Dominican Republic experience: Primary Care Disadvantaged Populations	1 month*	October- December
*The above 3 months also constitute 2 mos. of medical selectives and 1 mo. elective in the D.O. program. A needs assessment is also required during each month for the site, to be used in the Ph.D. program.
Medical Research Immersion Required one month on campus for VT courses and fellowship health project design	1 month	January
State Office of Public Health		February-April
Addressing health issues in Appalachia and Nongovernmental Organizations	2 weeks
Administration and Management of Health programs in underserved areas	2 weeks
Or US or International Public Health Selective (AHRQ or Center for Tropical Disease, or CDC, etc	1 month
Appalachian Public or Underserved Care Health experience (also counts as elective in D.O. program)	1 month
Year 5 - Begins in May
Vacation	First 3 weeks	May
Clinical Research Skills Development On campus research courses, Research (thesis) development and approval, IRB approval, Preliminary exam and Prospective exam	2 months	1 week of May through July
Research project implementation	1.5 months	July- August
Osteopathic program Elective rotations	2 months	September-October
Osteopathic program Surgical Selective rotations (sub-internship or critical care)	2 months	November-December
Health Project Measurement, Assessment, and Report and Thesis	2 months	January-February
Research Thesis Immersion	1 month	March-April
Medical Selective ( Sub internship, critical care, or ICU)	1 month	May

Each student is assigned a faculty committee with expertise in the students area of study.
The student must meet with the faculty committee throughout the two years to assure
direction and skills acquisition.

While the student is completing the fellowship, the student also completes the courses for the Ph.D. program from Virginia Tech. The student receives credit for the Epidemiology and Public Health course from VCOM, for medical Spanish, and for the immersion months as field experiences. The summer courses are taken on campus, while the majority of courses are taken on-line.

The curriculum and experiences require a great deal of dedication and self discipline. The coursework is rigorous as is the international immersion.

Click to continue on to the Global Health Fellowship Curriculum Overview.

D.O./Ph.D. Program:

D.O./Ph.D. Graduate School Application & Related Information:

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