P2B084: A Framework for Global Health Program Development in a “resource Limited” Academic Setting: PLANT a Program

Background: In an era with an ever-increasing number of highly sophisticated pediatric global health programs, it can be daunting to initiate global health activities in a new academic institution. Our primary objective was to establish a structured program within our department, which had no organized global health focus, funding, or faculty. We will share how we standardized resident education, increased faculty involvement, and gained departmental support and will suggest a framework for how faculty can formalize programs in “resource-limited” academic environments.

Methods: After identifying two faculty members in our department passionate about global health, we researched the many available global health curricula and brainstormed which aspects would be feasible in our location. We then performed a needs assessment of the department’s residents and faculty to gauge the interest level and any current projects or connections. Leveraging the contacts of our trainees and faculty members, we subsequently identified 5 international clinical sites that could supervise and teach trainees during an elective.

We then developed a detailed program proposal modeled to align with our department’s pre-determined goals. It was presented to the department’s leadership, including residency program leadership, and feedback was elicited. We received approval to commence, but no initial concrete resources or funding. Despite “limited resources”, we were able to integrate a global health lecture series into the residency curriculum and recruited faculty members to speak from their expertise on global health-related topics. At the same time, we advertised our program’s goals and structure at faculty meetings, residency functions, and on our department’s website. We explored local and regional partnerships and solicited philanthropic donations. Interested residents received mentorship and we adapted existing resources to provide individualized monthly curriculum. Interested faculty members participated in a monthly workgroup to further develop the program.

Results: During the first year of the program, we were able to quadruple faculty involvement and provided four resident lectures and two department-wide lectures. Recognizing the value of our work, our department leadership provided seed money which supplemented philanthropic donations that funded travel scholarships. We saw increased resident interest, with more than 10 residents interested in a global health elective as well as 8 residents engaging with individualized curriculum. We organized two global health electives for trainees and presented global health research at 2 national conferences. We are now analyzing how these efforts are affecting resident recruitment and education.

Conclusion: Even in departments with “limited resources” for global health, creating a robust global health program is still feasible. Based on our experiences, we advise new institutions to “PLANT” a global health program of their own:
Plan & purpose development
Lecture & leverage existing resources
Advertise & appoint roles
Notice new possibilities & negotiate support
Tailor to your institution & tally your impact