Academic Curriculum
Course Title: The Art of International Healing
Note: The preliminary elective described below has evolved into a comprehensive 3 credit graduate course (click here for the syllabus)
Instructors: Arun J. Sanyal, M.D. (Chairman - Gastroenterology), Richard P. Wenzel, M.D. (Chairman - Internal Medicine) George W. Vetrovec, M.D. (Chairman - Cardiology), David W. Marsland, M.D. (Chairman - Family Med)
Course Objectives:
(1) to teach United States (U.S.) caregivers about the healthcare
system of India.
(2) to teach U.S. medical students how Indian physicians deliver
healthcare with limited resources to a large patient population,
and perform cost-effective and highly skilled bedside diagnosis
without depending on sophisticated technology.
(3) to teach U.S. medical students about eastern medicine, cultural
differences, alternative medicine and the spiritual aspects
associated with the art of healing in Southeast Asia.
(4) to teach pathophysiology and management of diseases that are
prevalent in Southeast Asia and how U.S. medical students will
treat patients without compromising their own safety and well-being.
To know more about the diseases that are prevalent in India,
please click here for a brief summary of our research, or
please click here for our full report, which includes references.
(5) to teach clinical diagnositc, communication skills and cultural norms
that will allow U.S. caregivers to be effective in serving the indigent
population of India.
Sessions:
Date Location Topic Registration
1. Small group session #1: Mon, Feb 24, 2 - 4 PM
Title: Basic principles and a brief overview of Tropical Medicine
Presenter: Matt Hunninghake, M.D. (Chief Resident - Internal Medicine)
Description: Dr. Hunninghake will focus on tropical diseases that are
prevalent in South Asian countries and how management of these
diseases can be quite different than that in the U.S. For a brief preview
of these diseases, please see our research by clicking here.
Advanced Registration: Please sign-up on our guestbook to receive
further information about this session. Seats are limited to the first 20
people that register on our guestbook. Lunch will be provided
(compliments of AMSA).
2. Lecture #1: Mon, Mar 17, 1 - 4 PM
TITLE: The healthcare system (village and city) and culture
of West Bengal, India
PRESENTER: Arun J. Sanyal, M.D.
LOCATION: GBJ Auditorium
DESCRIPTION: Dr. Sanyal is the Chairman of Gasteroenterology in
the Department of Internal Medicine at MCV. Dr. Sanyal is the
author of numerous publications and is an expert on liver disease.
ATTENDANCE: Required for elective course credit and everyone
is invited.
LUNCH: will be provided (compliments of AMSA).
3. Lecture #2: Mon, Mar 31, 12 - 1 PM
TITLE: Medical Care in Azerbaijan, a nation on the Caspian Sea
PRESENTER: David W. Marsland, M.D.
LOCATION: Sanger 3-016
OUTLINE: (1) Geography, history, music, culture, economy,
religion of Azerbaijan; (2) Fundamental issues in caring for refugees
and internally displaced people; (3) Medical care issues; (4) Project
goals; (5) Experiences and observations
ATTENDANCE: Required for elective course credit and everyone
is invited.
LUNCH: A full-course gourmet Indian meal will be freshly catered
from one of top Indian restaurants in Richmond (courtesy of AMSA
and the Dept of Family Medicine).
4. Clinical & Communication Skills Workshop: Mon, Mar 31, 1 - 4 PM
TITLE: The Art of Healing in India
PRESENTER: Arun J. Sanyal, M.D.
LOCATION: GBJ Auditorium
OUTLINE: (1) Dr. Sanyal will review basic communication,
language (basic anatomy, color, temperature, health-related phrases,
etc.) and clinical skills (ascultation, percussion, palpation, etc)
necessary to work with patients in India; (2) Each student will be
paired up with a mock Indian patient and they will work together
throughout the session.
ATTENDANCE: Not Required for elective credit, but everyone
is invited.
5. Lecture #3: Mon, Apr 14, 12 - 1 PM
TITLE: Small Pox
PRESENTER: Richard P. Wenzel, M.D., M.Sc.
LOCATION: Sanger 3-016
OUTLINE: The last recorded case of smallpox in India occurred in
1975 near West Bengal (the place where we are going). Dr. Wenzel
will discuss this disease in light of recent concerns in the U.S.
ATTENDANCE: Required for elective course credit and everyone
is invited.
LUNCH: An excellent meal (To be Announced) will be served.
6. Small group session #2: Tue, Apr 15, 12 - 1 PM
TITLE: Cholera
PRESENTER: Richard P. Wenzel, M.D., M.Sc.
LOCATION: By invitation only (very limited seats)
Please sign-up on our guestbook to participate in this session and to
receive further information. Seats are limited and are by advanced
registration only. The total number of cholera cases in a year range
from 2000 to 10,000 in India, with the highest prevalence rates in
West Bengal. Please click here for details.
ATTENDANCE: Not Required and by invitation only.
7. Lecture #4: Fri, Apr 18, 2 - 4 PM
TITLE: How to spot a bad heart in Southeast Asia
PRESENTER: George W. Vetrovec, M.D.
LOCATION: Sanger 3-016
OUTLINE: To be announced
ATTENDANCE: Required for elective course credit and everyone
is invited.
LUNCH: An excellent meal (To be Announced) will be served.
8. Small-Group Clinical Skills Workshop: Details to be announced
TITLE: How to spot a bad heart
SMALL-GROUP LEADER: George W. Vetrovec, M.D.
OUTLINE: A small group of students will round with cardiologists and
learn essential clinical diagnostic skills from a hands-on perspective.
9. Lecture #5: Tue, Apr 29, 12 - 1 PM
TITLE: The pathophysiology and management of diseases
in Southeast Asia
PRESENTER: Arun J. Sanyal, M.D.
LOCATION: GBJ Auditorium
OUTLINE: To be announced
ATTENDANCE: Required for elective course credit and everyone
is invited.
LUNCH: An excellent meal (To be Announced) will be served.
10. Small-group session: Why cultural awareness is critical for the
success of any international health program.
PRESENTER: Dr. Mohammed Y. Kalimi
11. Clinical Skills Workshop
TITLE: How to diagnose without an x-ray, echo and CT scan
PRESENTER: Matt Hunninghake, M.D.
(Chief Resident - Internal Medicine)
LOC/DATE/TIME: To be announced
ATTENDANCE: Not Required and by invitation only.
The lecture sessions are open to all medical students of MCV-VCU. Please note, however, that the sessions are designed for students that have expressed a strong interest in international health and cultural awareness, especially in eastern medicine and the healthcare system of Southeast Asia.
In order to help us plan the small group sessions more effectively, please pre-register if you are definitely planning on attending one or more of these sessions. Pre-registration is not necessary for the lecture sessions. MCV medical students will receive elective credits for participating in this course by attending all lecture sessions. Students that are registered for the graduate course, please see your syllabus on your specific requirements for credit.
To pre-register, please sign our guestbook (click below) and indicate in the comments section the sessions which you will be attending, and the details of the seminars will be subsequently e-mailed to you.
