Design, Implementation and Preliminary Evaluation of an Elective, Student-Organized Global Health Course at a United States Medical School

Abstract

Background: Medical students increasingly seek accessible, structured global health education that does require travel abroad while providing exposure to global health concepts that strengthen care for patients in diverse settings. Methods: Six students at an urban medical school in the northeast United States addressed this need by implementing a student-organized global health lecture and seminar series that ran for three separate semesters between March 2025 and August 2026. Topics included global surgery, mental health, infectious and noncommunicable disease, critical care, child health, humanitarian response, community-based care, conflict-related care, ethics and equity, and global health career pathways. We used pre-post surveys adapted from the validated Global Health Competency Survey (GHCS) to evaluate changes in self-reported confidence, knowledge, and skills. Results: Thirty-one students completed 51 surveys between March 2025 and August 2026. Twelve completed it before attending sessions and 19 completed it at two timepoints, with one being before attending sessions. Self-rated global health confidence increased in 15 respondents (median + 0.36 on a 4-point scale; p = 0.006). Perceived difficulty of skills needed to successfully participate in global health decreased (median +