JBJS | The International Orthopaedic Health Elective at the University of California at San Francisco: The Eight-Year Experience

The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, Volume 91, Issue 12

Topics in Training | December 01, 2009

The International Orthopaedic Health Elective at the University of California at San Francisco: The Eight-Year Experience

Alexander R. Disston, MD¹; Gabriel J. Martinez-Diaz, BS²; Sarath Raju, MPH³; Maria Rosales, BA²; Wil C. Berry, BA²; R. Richard Coughlin, MD, MSc²

¹ 6772 Sims Drive, Oakland, CA 94611. E-mail address: Alexander.Disston@ucsf.edu
² University of California at San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Avenue, SFGH 30, Room 3A36, San Francisco, CA 94110. E-mail address for G.J. Martinez-Diaz: gjmd@stanford.edu. E-mail address for M. Rosales: rosalesmc@gmail.com. E-mail address for W.C. Berry: wil.berry@ucsf.edu. E-mail address for R. Coughlin: coughlin@orthosurg.ucsf.edu
³ Biostatistics, Research Ethics, and Design Program, Clinical and Translational Institute (CTSI) at UCSF, 185 Berry Street, Suite 5512, San Francisco, CA 94107. E-mail address: sraju@ucla.edu

The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 2009; 91:2999-3004 doi:10.2106/JBJS.I.00460

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It is estimated that half of the world's population lacks access to adequate primary health care and that two-thirds of the population lacks access to orthopaedic care¹. While opportunities for orthopaedic surgeons to volunteer internationally have existed for many years, only a small percentage of practicing orthopaedic surgeons in the United States do so. One reason for this low rate of volunteerism is that physicians who have recently finished residency training face substantial loan burdens. In addition, recent graduates need to establish and build their practices^2,3. Residents at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) may elect to participate in an overseas volunteerism program as early as their third postgraduate year. This program is rooted in the hope that early exposure will encourage future participation in similar activities throughout the residents' professional lives. While reports on the early experience of this elective have demonstrated a trend toward increased future participation in volunteerism, to date there have been no formal investigations of the long-term impact of this elective experience on orthopaedic surgery residents^4,5.

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internship and residency ; medical residencies ; health care ; attitude ; demography

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Accreditation Statement

These activities have been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

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