Frequently Asked Questions

• Whom do I contact with questions?

  Kevin.Douglas@osumc.edu

  614-247-8968
  Prior Hall
  376 W. 10th Ave., Suite 165
  Columbus, OH 43210

• When should I start planning for a GHE?

  Ideally this should begin at least eight months ahead of time (more if possible).

• When will I receive my funding?

  Funding is dispersed upon completion of all of the pre-travel requirements. Student Financial Services says you should expect to see your award within 10 business days from the date that the OGH requests the deposit.

• When can I do a GHE?

  You may do a GHE during rotations 1-12 except for rotation 11. Rotation 11 is not available for a GHE. The dates to do a GHE during rotation 12 have been adjusted from the standard COM schedule to account for Match Day.

  If you are going during rotation 11, contact your residency program as soon as you know where you matched to let them know you will be out of the country and internet access will likely be spotty. It will be important to find out if they need anything from you in the next month because you may not be able to do it while you are abroad. You might want to consider setting up a power of attorney for any documents that must be signed or completed in your absence.

• How do I choose a site or country for a GHE?

  One way is by working with the OGH to arrange an elective at one of our affiliated institutions. The second is to work with an organization that arranges elective programs for medical students; The third way is arranging for an elective through a personal contact, e.g., a family friend is a physician in India.
  

• How long is a Global Health Elective?

  A Global Health Elective should be about 150 hours over four weeks.

• Where can I go?

  The country selected must not be listed on the “current travel warnings” issued by the U.S. Department of State. Travel to the country must be safe as determined by the OIA who have final approval on safety issues.
  
  The host site must be in a developing nation (lower, lower middle, or upper middle income). The World Bank provides a list of qualifying countries; however each site will be evaluated individually and presence on this list does not guarantee approval.
  
  We do not give a "blanket" approval for any country, even if it is classified as a developing country. For example, a private, well-equipped hospital for serving middle class and higher (high-resource environment in a low-resource country) would not be approved.
  

• How do I apply for a GHE?

  You must first schedule a meeting with the program manager to discuss your plans or seek assistance in where to go. You can apply at that time with your host acceptance.

• Can I go to a site no one has gone to yet?

  Yes, as long as it meets the criteria and requirements for a GHE. Please submit as much information to the program coordinator as possible so that we can decide if the site meets our criteria.

• What happens after I've been approved for a GHE?

  • Complete USAID modules
  • Schedule pre-departure meeting
  • Submit an OIA application (to provide Supplemental Health Insurance)

• If I was approved for a GHE previously, will my application for the same site automatically be approved?

  Each application/rotation will be evaluated individually and just because a rotation was approved in a previous year does not mean it will be approved in the future. Always check with the OGH if you have questions.

• Can I do a Spanish language immersion course in a developing country as my GHE?

  Any language training component must be outside of the 150 hours/four weeks clinical work requirement. Rotations solely or predominantly for the purpose of language training/immersion are not eligible for funding and credit.

• How do I sign up on Vitals for a GHE?

  The GHE will be added to your schedule after your application has been approved.

• When is the GHE added to my schedule? Should I leave the rotation slot that I want to do blank?

  The GHE will be added to your schedule after your application has been approved. You can either leave that spot on your schedule blank or add a rotation that can be dropped prior to adding the GHE.