MP21: Global emergency medicine fellowship: establishing a global EM training program at Queen’s University

Abstract

Introduction: Global Emergency Medicine (Global EM) is growing rapidly as an academic niche in Canada. An increasing number of Canadian emergency physicians work internationally as part of their practice, and trainees consistently seek out international projects and electives. For the most part however, residents have had to create their own training opportunities as formal Global EM fellowship training has been lacking in Canada. To address this identified need, Queens University established a Global EM fellowship, the first of its kind in the country. Methods: The fellowship is designed to provide the skills necessary for an academic career in Global Emergency Medicine. Curriculum and objectives are modeled on similar well-established fellowships in the United States. Areas of expertise include emergency medicine systems development, humanitarian medicine, disaster response, public health, tropical medicine, research, administration and education. Fellows have the opportunity to tailor their training according to their specific interests within these domains. Importantly, the fellowship provides direct mentorship from academic global EM and public health physicians, and networking opportunities within the global health sphere. Results: The two-year fellowship curriculum is divided between: 1) coursework to complete a Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree 2) fieldwork 3) relevant international emergency medicine training courses and 4) clinical work in the emergency departments at the Kingston Health Sciences Center. The Queens Global EM fellowship admitted its first fellow in August 2017. To date, the inaugural fellow has completed the MissionCraft Leadership in Disaster Relief course as well as a Humanitarian U Disaster and Response course, in addition to submitting a research grant as a co-principal investigator, starting coursework for an MPH degree and giving several invited lectures on humanitarian medicine. The fellow also travelled to Lebanon to support research in collaboration with aid organizations responding to the Syrian crisis. Upcoming fieldwork involves teaching at a newly established emergency medicine residency program in Haiti as well as a humanitarian crisis deployment. Conclusion: In response to a lack of formal international emergency medicine training opportunities in Canada, Queens University has established a Global Emergency Medicine fellowship. The fellowship aims to provide protected time, access to field opportunities and dedicated mentorship to develop the skills necessary to succeed as an academic Global EM physician. We believe it provides a unique opportunity to significantly expand fellows experiences in global health fieldwork, education and research while continuing to practice in a Canadian tertiary emergency department.