Ethics and Cultural Humility

 When planning for an international clinical or research experience, it’s important to prepare in advance. Take some time to review the resources below to better identify and navigate some of the ethical and cultural complexities you may encounter while abroad.

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) guidelines for students and residents on providing patient care during clinical experiences abroad and articles on packing ethics into global health trips.

• American College of Physicians position paper outlining ethical obligations for short-term global health experiences.

• The AMA Journal of Ethics issue focused on the Ethics of Global Health “Immersion” in Health Professions Education: Ethical Challenges in Short-Term Global Health Training. This series of cases developed by Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University introduces students and trainees to ethical issues they may encounter while engaging in short-term global health experiences.

• Unite for Sight’s online global health education modules apply best practice principles to foster the most beneficial impact of a global health experience. Choose from dozens of online global health courses such as Volunteer Ethics and Professionalism; Cultural Competency; and Ethics and Photography.

• Decolonizing Global Health - Resources useful to those engaged in the decolonization of global health.

• Global Health Education Amidst COVID-19: Disruptions and Opportunities

• Decolonizing Global Health: A Moment To Reflect On A Movement

• The Art of Medicine: Will Global Health Survive its Decolonization?

Global Health Resources

Below are online tools and resources for global health training and pre-travel preparation. 

Practitioners Guide to Global Health is a three-part online course designed to prepare students, trainees, and providers for a global health learning or volunteer experience that is safe, culturally sensitive, and mutually beneficial to both the learner and the host community.

Global Ambassadors for Patient Safety offers online pre-departure training for health care students and faculty advisors.

The Consortium of Universities in Global Health Global Health Competencies Toolkit 2.0 defines competencies for global health education and professional development.