What is “global and community health”?
There are various definitions of global and community health, but all address the notion that health issues, determinants of health, and solutions to health problems are transnational phenomena that transcend geographical boundaries. Global health is the health of individuals and their communities across the globe, hence acknowledging that global and community health are intrinsically interrelated. Global and community health is addressed by multidisciplinary collaboration both within and beyond traditional health sciences. The concept of reducing disparities in health, both in local communities as well as throughout the world, involves a combination of research, education, and service. These principles often guide interventions and solutions geared towards improving global and community health.
Why does the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital OB/GYN residency program have a global and community health track?
The purpose of offering the Global and Community Health Track for OB/GYN residents at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital is to help inspire and train OB/GYN physicians to engage in improving the lives of women not only their local communities, but also around the world. With focused learning and didactics on topics related to the complexity of addressing health disparities throughout the world, the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Global and Community Health Track aims to educate the participating OB/GYN residents on how to be efficacious in global and community health endeavors. These endeavors could include careers that possibly involve living internationally, working with local or international healthcare organizations focused on reducing health disparities, or even being a strategic donor who supports sustainable projects geared towards improving the lives of women around the world.
- Public health basics such as statistics, program planning, critical appraisal, and evaluation
- Leadership development to glean tools for effective leadership, including in multi-cultural settings
- Clinical instruction for how to navigate the challenges of practicing in a low-resource environment-Community volunteering and outreach to apply studied concepts, and experience global and community health in the Orlando area as well as via partners around the world
Monthly activities involve a variety of the following: dinner didactic sessions to discuss a topic related to women’s global and community health, local community outreach with community partners (such as the local refugee assistance organization and an Orlando-based Federally Qualified Health Center/FQHC), book club (to discuss assigned group-distributed books related to global and community health), and participation in global health conferences/webinars around the world (through the World Telehealth Initiative/WTI).