Child Health International Program (CHIP)
At the University of
New Mexico Children’s Hospital we recognize the global nature of child
health, and our Child Health International Program (CHIP) is doing
something about it.
We believe that working with children in the developing world can be a profound experience - one which often generates a gratifying sense of achievement as well as lifelong implications on the practice of medicine. Therefore, the goal of CHIP is to provide our pediatric residents with the tools, the time, and the training necessary to provide specific and ongoing service in the international arena.
CHIP provides funding for international rotations through a $100,000 endowment from the Tom Dooley Heritage as well as funds raised and donated by our local New Mexico Pediatrics Society. We endeavor to support each resident with funds of ~ $1,000 based on the service and research components of the projects.
Our pediatrics program
already has a strong record of providing international service. In
recent years residents have provided services in Uganda, Botswana,
Thailand, Russia and Zimbabwe. The service in Zimbabwe, which began as
a one month resident driven PARC project, has evolved into a highly
successful and nationally recognized non-profit organization which
provides ongoing HIV education to African children (please see
www.grassrootsoccer.org).
Bolstered with strong support from our Chairperson and Program Director, pediatric residents at UNM have the opportunity to arrange international rotations in both second and third years of residency. In coordination with our PARC program, interns have the opportunity and dedicated time to initiate plans for an international advocacy project which they may pursue on site in the following years.
CHIP is directed by a small group of faculty and residents dedicated to international child health. Please contact Dr. Aaron Jacobs (Director of CHIP, ajacobs@salud.unm.edu) to obtain any further information. Should you choose to pursue your pediatric residency with us at UNM, we would look forward to providing the training and support necessary for success in international child health.
Where in the world are the UNM Pediatric Residents?
Elizabeth Lundeen:: Resident
This summer, the summer of my 2nd year
of residency, I traveled to Gaborone, Botswana. It may seem like
international travel is hard to arrange in residency, but our program
encourages and supports it. I received a CHIP grant which covered part
of my expenses, and was able to use educational funds to help cover the
rest, making the trip an economic possibility.
While I was in Botswana, I was able to work with a Pediatric AIDS Corp group based out of Baylor. I worked for four weeks in the national clinic for Pediatric HIV treatment and saw dozens of children each week. I worked directly with patients in the main clinic, but I was also able to travel off-site to outreach clinics where my training in pediatrics made me part of an expert team available to teach and offer consultation for unusual pediatric disease. Most doctors in Botswana are incredibly overloaded with very sick patients and they function with little official training beyond medical school. Even as a very junior pediatrician, my contribution was meaningful.
Here in NM, we see all sorts of disease—including advanced pathology that I never encountered while training on the east coast. However, many of the illnesses I saw in Botswana, both HIV and non-HIV related, were new to me outside of text-book knowledge. The elective time I spent abroad definitely added to my clinical acumen and experience. Perhaps more importantly, my time away taught me confidence and pride in my abilities. In many ways, this trip jump-started my career as a pediatrician and it certainly has made me a better resident.
With all the advances and opportunities we have in the world of western medicine, time spent in the developing world teaches you things that you can’t learn from books and power-points. It’s an amazing thing to be in a program where that this type of experience is both valued and supported.
