The University of Wisconsin–Madison has a long-standing partnership with the community of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, working alongside local health experts and NGOs to deliver outpatient care. This collaborative model ensures the program is sustainable and responsive to community needs.
UW–Madison health professions students participate in two-week service-learning experiences in San Lucas Tolimán each summer, where they provide supervised patient care alongside faculty, global health fellows, and residents from multiple disciplines. While in clinic, students work in small groups to assess patients and present cases to UW providers for evaluation and treatment. Weekends are typically free for sightseeing or other activities. Students also learn about other Mission-supported initiatives, including construction projects, education programs, coffee production, and the Women’s Center.
Division of Global Health faculty Dr. Jessica Schmidt, Dr. Colleen Andrews, and Dr. Jim Svenson have co-directed these student learning opportunities for more than a decade, in affiliation with physician, pharmacy, physical therapy, and physician assistant faculty.
“Working alongside UW students and Guatemalan health promoters to serve the people of the San Lucas Tolimán communities is a transformative experience filled with humanism and gratitude.”
The experience is open to other faculty and fellows in the Department of Emergency Medicine without a defined focus in global health, as well as alumni of our emergency medicine graduate medical education programs whose experience in Guatemala during their training continues to inspire them. The opportunities to teach, mentor, serve, and experience cross-culture exchange support our clinicians and learners in growing personally and professionally, while gaining “one health” perspectives and making a meaningful different for local residents.
Health professions students can learn more and apply for this opportunity through the Office of Global Health at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
Global Health
