Meeting a Growing Worldwide Need

Global Emergency Medicine is a rapidly growing and important subspecialty of emergency medicine. The scope of knowledge for emergency medicine physicians spans both medical and surgical areas of expertise and requires knowledge of global public health issues, EMS systems, disaster preparation, mass casualties and the handling of epidemics and pandemics.  As leading causes of death globally shift further towards non-communicable diseases and trauma, the role for emergency care systems in low- and middle-income countries is rapidly evolving. Northwell Health has been a pioneer in the development of IEM training programs, having one of the oldest programs in the country. 

Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship

Our international emergency medicine programs:

• Enhance the quality of EM care and contribute to the improved health of the global community
• Raise global public awareness of the scope of emergency medical services
• Enhance and optimize emergency disaster preparedness and response globally

The Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship at LIJ Medical Center, one of the academic and clinical hubs of the Northwell Health System, is designed to give emergency medicine physicians a better understanding of emergency medicine systems development and global health around the world.  Our unique fellowship allows each fellow the flexibility to tailor the fellowship experience to their individual interests.  Fellows spend approximately half of their time working as an attending physician at LIJ Medical Center in Queens, a tertiary care center with an annual patient volume of over 100,000.  Fellows will have the remainder of their time available to pursue a Master’s in Public Health degree and work on global health projects. Fellows receive a salary that is among the highest in the country for any Global EM fellowship.

With 23 hospitals in its network, Northwell Health is the largest health system in New York.  LIJ Medical Center is one of the core sites of the emergency medicine residency program at North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center affiliated with the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra / Northwell.  The program has 25 residents per class and is a 3-year emergency medicine training program.  In addition to the clinical experiences you expect of any great training program, our residents and fellows have access to expertise in EMS and disaster management, toxicology, global health, sports medicine, pediatrics, simulation medicine, medical education, administration and ultrasound as all of these fellowship programs are offered by our department.

Global EM Fellowship Curriculum

Our program focuses on emergency care systems development.  Global health is a very broad field, and our program gives our fellows the flexibility to tailor their fellowship experience to their interest in global health. 

Our fellowship can be divided into 3 components:  Clinical, Academic and Experiential. 

1. Clinical:  Fellows work as attending physicians at LIJ Medical Center.  In this role, fellows will be responsible for treating emergency department patients and supervising residents and advanced practice practitioners.  Our fellows work approximately 20 hours a week clinically.  In addition, there is paid vacation time, a CME time allowance, and PTO for holidays worked. 
2. Academic:  Fellows complete a Master’s in Public Health over the course of the 2-year program.  Recently, our fellows have found the online MPH program through the University of Massachusetts to be the best fit for the fellowship.  All coursework is done online, so schedule conflicts with clinical shifts and global health field work is not an issue.  Most students in the program are health professionals with clinical experience, leading to unique discussions that may not be found in more traditional MPH programs.  The degree is identical to that offered by taking coursework in person at the University of Massachusetts.  Other MPH programs can be considered if fellows are interested.  At the end of the MPH, a capstone project is required.  Fellows are also required to produce a project that results in a paper of publishable quality.  Field work over the course of the fellowship should culminate with this project.  Fellows also have the opportunity to participate in other global health educational experiences, such as the Health Emergencies in Large Populations (HELP) course, and the Global EM fellow conferences held regionally and nationally.
3. Experiential:  Fellows will have funding and protected time to participate in global health field work. In addition to participating in our emergency medicine training program in India, fellows are encouraged to work in other sites if they have contacts with other organizations or interests in other geographic areas.  Recent fellows have worked on projects in Palestine with USAID, Haiti with Partners in Health, Iraq with NYC Medics, and Uganda with Global Emergency Care. 

 

Global Emergency Medicine Involvement

International conferences – Northwell Health has sponsored several international conferences over the past several years in New York City, India and the Caribbean. We are the organizers and sponsors of the annual New York Symposium for International Emergency Medicine. 

Resident international rotations – The emergency medicine residency program at LIJ Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital is a 3-year emergency medicine residency affiliated with the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra / Northwell with approximately 25 residents per class.  Residents have the option of choosing an international site for elective rotations.  Past residents have participated in rotations in India, Vietnam, Ghana, Thailand, Geneva, South Africa, Uganda, and others.  Their experiences range from clinical exposure to medical care in rural areas to aiding in the development of emergency care systems on the local, regional and international levels. 

Resident, student and attending rotations to the United States – Over the past decade, students and clinicians from other countries such as Argentina, Barbados, Ecuador, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Australia have spent time in our Emergency Department as observers learning departmental processes.

International projects – Numerous projects have led to research opportunities and publications. These projects have led to collaboration with the development of future prospective trials.

India – North Shore-LIJ’s Emergency Medicine Department runs a post-graduate fellowship training program in Emergency Medicine at the Mission Hospital in Durgapur, West Bengal.  This program has been ongoing since 2009.  Our faculty have been involved with local leaders in India and involved with emergency medicine specialty development in India on the local and national levels.

Applying for Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship

The program currently accepts one fellow per year starting in July 2022. Fellow’s salaries are among the most competitive in the country.  A full benefits package is offered, including paid vacation, paid CME time, paid holiday time, medical benefits, disability insurance and 403b.

The successful applicant will have satisfactorily completed emergency medicine residency training at an ACGME accredited program and have demonstrated a strong interest in Global Emergency Medicine.  Please note that fellows must be able to get an unrestricted license to practice medicine in New York State as they will be working as attending physicians.

A completed application consists of the following:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Personal statement (1 page)
• 3 letters of recommendation, preferably one from program director

Our fellowship is a member of the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship Consortium, so all applications should be submitted at www.iemfellowships.com.