Internal Medicine Internship
Eligibility:
The student applying to this internship should be a science/pre-med major or minor and also have a strong internest in international health and be pursuing a career in the sciences. Students are selected based on these interests, grade point average and the written responses on the application.
Students interested in this internship must fill out the application listed above and also obtain one letter of recommendation with the Letter of Recommendation Form.
All applications and letters of recommendation must be turned into Dr. Carl Jubran in the International Center in Serra 315 or by email to cjubran@sandiego.edu.
Due date: May 1, 2009
Background:
In 1975 the University of Texas began a program of research in Mexico looking at the cause, treatment and prevention of diarrhea in U.S. college students in Mexico as well as in local Mexican children living in conditions of reduced hygiene. These studies have been important to our current understanding of diarrheal illness in developing regions. The University of Texas program also sponsors studies in infectious diseases in Asia (India and Thailand) and in other Latin American regions (Guatemala and Peru). In 1976, this research unit from Houston began working with USD students and has continued this program until the present time. Recent areas of interest include the causes of illness, the vehicles of transmission for enteric infection (e.g. foods and water), new drug development for treatment and vaccines and disease control and prevention approaches.
Program Description:
For the time period June 5 through July 19, 2009, USD students will be eligible for the internship. They will be selected by USD based on grade point average, enthusiasm for international health and potential for careers in science.
Each day during USD classes (9:00 am to 2:00 pm) the interns will work with University of Texas – Houston and Baylor College of Medicine faculty and medical students to enroll college students in wellness programs (to determine host genetic susceptibility factors and incidence of diarrhea) and clinical studies to evaluate the cause of diarrhea and to help carry out studies of the treatment and prevention of diarrhea. Interns will also attend formel lectures with the medical students in the areas of diarrhea, microbiology and infectious diseases.
Students have the option to earn either four or seven units in this internship, based on the amount of hours dedicated to the internship. Students wishing to earn four units for the internship, are eligible to take one academic course from 9:00-10:40am and will then participate in the internship from 11:30-2:20pm. Students wishing to earn seven units will participate in the internship from 9:00-10:40am and again from 11:30-2:20.
Interns will also have the opportunity to work in the University of Texas laboratory at Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara learning identification of intestinal pathogens including bacteria and parasites as well as Escherichia coli and fecal coliforms. They will work on processing illness samples from students and on the identification of bacteria from food samples.
Objectives of the Internship:
Interns will be able to recite and discuss:
- The importance of diarrhea in U.S. persons and local children in Mexico and in U.S. persons not leaving their country;
- The causes of diarrhea in each of the populations above;
- The relative importance of food and beverages as sources of diarrhea;
- Methods of control and prevention of diarrhea in U.S. visitors to Mexico and children living in developing regions;
- The global problem of Emerging Infectious Diseases;
- The past research of the University of Texas team;
- The requirements for improved health of children in the developing world.
Evaluation:
The interns will undergo an oral examination to see the objectives are met. A grade will be provided to USD based on performance in the daily activities (67% of the grade) and the oral examination (33% of the grade).
Course Director: Herbert L. DuPont, MD, hdupont@sleh.com,
