skip to main content Main page content

Global Health Education

**This page has not been updated since 2021. It is in the process of being updated. In the meantime, please contact the 2022-2023 Director of Global Health, Khalidha Nasiri, at [email protected] if you have any questions about the global health portfolio**

Your National Officer of Global Health Education (NOGHE) is Khalidha Nasiri at the Western University. Contact her at [email protected].

Over the years, there has been an increasing demand for global health education at Canadian medical schools. Many schools have created programming, be it faculty-led or student-led, to account for this growing demand. Some schools, however, have fallen behind in addressing student requests for global health programming for a variety of reasons, including logistic concerns or a small number of global health faculty. The CFMS NOGHE portfolio aims to provide students with resources to supplement their medical education with global health core concepts. These core concepts for Canadian medical students were initially drafted in 2012 and were re-affirmed as well as mapped to CanMEDS roles (found here).

Recently completed and current projects in the NOGHE portfolio:

MDs of Global Health 

  • Interviews from Canadian physicians in a variety of specialties with extensive global health involvement, inspired by “Humans of New York” 
  • Aim to inspire and engage medical students in learning more about becoming involved in global health initiatives 
  • https://www.cfms.org/what-we-do/global-health/md-gh

Language Toolkits 

  • Translations of standard medical history-taking questions in commonly used languages students may use on international exchange, internships, or other projects abroad 
  • Project currently in progress 

Global Health Resources

  • Valuable resources including recommendations for modules, articles, and books to learn more about the various global health domains, such as: women’s health, refugee health, indigenous health, ethical engagement in global health, and climate change 
  • Project currently in progress 

CFMS Social Medicine Certificate Toolkit

  • Provides a framework for students attempting to implement a global health certificate program at their school
  • Link to completed document: Click here

Selected Cases in Global Health

  • An educational resource on various global health topics structured similarly to the Case Files series
  • Link to download 8 completed chapters: Click here

Student Survey of Opinions Surrounding Mandatory Service Learning

  • Gathered data on students’ perspectives regarding mandatory service learning and areas for improvement
  • Link to completed report: Click here

‘"What does “Global Health” Mean to You?’ Social Media Campaign

  • Captured students’ understandings of the term “Global Health” in order to explore the breadth of this field both at home and abroad, using contributions from students across the country

Global Health Mentorship For Canadian Medical Students

  • Are you a medical student looking for mentorship in the field of global health? Check out MentorNet (run by the Canadian Society for International Health), which offers a robust mentorship program connecting interested students with mentors working in global health: http://www.csih.org/en/programs/mentornet

Past Archive Initiatives

Summary of Global Health Education at Medical Schools Across Canada

  • Collection of responses from students regarding key areas of global health education across Canada, survey questions derived from Building a Framework for Global Health Learning: An Analysis of Global Health Concentrations in Canadian Medical Schools (Watterson et al, 2015)
  • Link to completed report: Click here