To deliver truly effective health care, future physicians must acquire a deep understanding of the many societal factors that influence health and drive health inequities. Washington University School of Medicine addresses this need by integrating community-based learning on health equity locally and globally throughout all three phases of the curriculum.
The goal of the Advocacy/ Global Health Explore Pathway is to aid in the development of leadership and advocacy skills among physicians in order to improve health and healthcare systems. This pathway will help prepare WUSM students to consider the role of advocacy at multiple levels (e.g., patient, professional, community) and specify appropriate targets for intervention, including but not limited to the development of policies. This pathway will emphasize the cross pollination of strategies between local and global contexts as well as fostering a culture of humility that is necessary to work effectively across the globe. Key skills that will be honed through the Advocacy/Global Health Explore Pathway include leadership, communicating with multiple audiences (e.g., community members, policy makers), and community engagement strategies (e.g., stakeholder mapping, developing coalitions).
