Centro Medico Humberto Parra - Palacios, Bolivia
For More Information:
Centro Medico Humberto Parra
Daniel Young
Center for Global Health
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
645. N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1058
Chicago, IL 60611
tel: +1 312 503 8829
fax: +1 312 503 8800
d-young@northwestern.edu
ANNOUNCEMENT: Students should plan on applying at least eight months prior to their proposed start date at Centro Medico Humberto Parra.
Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM) medical students may apply to complete a 4-8 week rotation for elective credit in International Health at the outpatient clinic located in Palacios, Bolivia, about 90 kilometers from Santa Cruz. Students and residents will be exposed to an environment that lacks the technical advances they may be accustomed to in the U.S. and will develop skills and knowledge on infectious diseases not generally encountered in the US. Rotations may also be made at the municipal hospital and another nearby clinic in Santa Cruz. A high level of Spanish fluency is required.
Dates: M4s may apply to visit the clinic at any time during the year, while M1s may visit during the summer months, space permitting.
Length of Rotation: 4-8 weeks
Location: Palacios, Bolivia
Language Requirement: Advanced fluency in Spanish required
Student level: M1s (summer only) and M4s
How to Apply: Complete the Online Application
Elective Credit: Students may apply to receive credit for the elective in International Health. Beyond the goals of the elective rotation described below students are required to prepare a 10-15 minute health education lecture in Spanish that will be presented a minimum of two times to clinic attendings, staff, and visiting medical students and residents. Students will also be required to work on an independent study project, chosen from a list developed by clinic administrators. The project often involves designing a new protocol or updating public health programs for the clinic and the local community. Examples include projects on pediatric dental health, colon cancer screening, Chagas screening and treatment protocols, obesity/exercise program, health promoter program, among others. Students will be assigned a project by the clinic administrator. The expectation is that students will do a brief literature review before the rotation begins, complete the project on site, and submit a 4-6 page recommendation to the clinic administrator before departure.
Goals of Elective Credit:
- Provide exposure to diseases not generally encountered during U.S. medical training.
- Develop medical skills necessary to practice in a setting that lacks many technological advances.
- Provide a cross-cultural medical experience beyond what is possible in the U.S.
- Allow students and residents to develop and nourish their sense of altruism.
- Expose students and physicians early in their careers, to the possibilities of working in the developing world and/or under-served populations.
- Understand the interaction between health and social, cultural and environmental issues.
Rotation Information:
Medical students generally spend Wednesday through Saturday at the Centro Medico Humberto Parra clinic, which was founded in 2001 and is funded by the Daniels Hamant Foundation. It is located 90 kilometers from Santa Cruz, the largest city in Bolivia. This free clinic serves an area with about 40,000 people. Here the greatest amount of continuity of care is possible as follow-up is a major focus of effort. The clinic has two regular examination rooms, an infirmary/treatment room, a class room, a dental suite and an ophthalmology room. It has a small pharmacy, a storage area and a small laboratory that is capable of doing routine chemistries and urinalyses. An electrocardiogram machine is also available as well as cellular telephone and internet access via satellite. It is staffed by two full time nurses and by rotating Bolivian and American doctors who supervise students and residents. Dr. Douglas Villarroel is the on-site Director. In addition, gynecologists, ophthalmologists, and dentists come to the clinic on a weekly basis.
Medical students will also complete rotations at the Municipal Hospital in Santa Cruz. Hospital Japones is a 200 bed public hospital that was founded in 1986. It was initially financed by the Japanese government which supported it for the first decade of its history. It has departments of Internal Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology and Pediatrics. In addition to inpatient services, it has an emergency room, observation area, outpatient clinics, a resuscitation room, and operating rooms. Kidney transplants and cardiac surgery are done at the hospital. Two living donor liver transplants have been done there. It is a teaching hospital which educates both medical students and residents. It is associated with Universidad Catolica, Universidad Cristiana and Universidad Gabriel Rene Moreno. This part of the rotation includes valuable didactic presentations as well as direct participation in the care of acutely ill patients. Tropical infectious diseases and subspecialty care in a resource poor environment are stressed. An international infectious disease expert will give a series of formal lectures in Spanish to the students on the subjects of arthropod borne diseases (dengue, malaria and yellow fever), venomous snake bites, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis.
Students may also work at another outpatient setting in Santa Cruz, should weather conditions not allow for travel to Palacios.
Affiliated Faculty:
Mark E. Molitch, M.D, Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Susan H. Hou, M.D, Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Illinois
Douglas Villarroel, M.D, Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Professor of Medicine, Universidad Católica Boliviana, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Helpful Links:
Centro Medico Humberto Parra
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
US State Department
World Health Organization Country Profile
Accommodations:
Students and residents will be met at the airport by a representative of Centro Medico Humberto Parra, in the clinic's 4 wheel drive vehicle. They will stay at the home of Drs. Molitch and Hou while in Santa Cruz and in the visiting doctors and students quarters at the clinic. All housing is double occupancy rooms with air-conditioning and costs approximately $100 per week, which includes a select number of meals.
Evaluations (only accessible to users with a valid NetID):
Videos:
Reflections video:
Remote Care video:
Surgeries video:
This page last updated Mar 29, 2013