Announcing Scholarship for 4th-year Clinical Electives

GW’s Office of International Medicine Programs (IMP) began its International Clinical Electives Program (ICEP) in 1997 in order to expose GW SMHS students to medical systems outside of the United States. These rotations allow students to enrich and diversify their medical education in an international setting. Since that time, the program has broadened to include students from the School of Nursing and the Milken Institute School of Public Health, as well as medical residents. The program is also offered to international students from affiliated universities and institutions to provide them with experience in the American medical system as well as invaluable motivation to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to the health care needs of their home country.

Since its inception, more than 300 GW students have traveled to upwards of 50 countries in every region of the world. Students participate in a broad range of rotations from anesthesiology to urology, including sub-specialties. The experience can be life changing for some, as exemplified in Eyitemi Oghogho’s, M.D. ‘13 reflection paper on her experience in Ghana where she stated, “Four pages is not enough to express all the emotions I felt throughout this rotation nor share how much I’ve learned about myself and about how medicine is practiced in different parts of the world.”

Additionally, more than 300 international students from nearly 20 countries have participated in the program, completing rotations at GW. Anwar Abou El Nasr, a medical student at Alexandria University in Egypt, participated in ICEP in 2013. “I enjoyed seeing how the doctors related to their patients,” he said. “It’s not just about medicine, but cultural and social matters as well.”

This year, IMP announced the first ICEP scholarship for 4th-year clinical electives. This scholarship is offered to exceptional 4th-year SMHS M.D. students who wish to gain medical experience abroad. Ten scholarships in the amount of $2,500 were awarded this year. Rick James, Sr. Education Specialist at IMP,  manages the international clinical electives program and said, “After 8 years of working with students, both international and GW, I am still continuously inspired by the stories that the students share about their clinical rotations, cultural experiences, and their overall interest in global health. I’m proud to be able to work with many great students and provide them with this excellent opportunity.” The selected students are as follows: