Ify Abili, a junior at UW-Madison, felt a stronger connection to her goal of working in global health after completing UW Carbone Cancer Center's new global oncology study abroad course.
In addition to lectures by global health researchers and experts, the students traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, for real-world connection with clinicians working in a foreign health system.
“The program is about something that I'm very passionate about, which is understanding health care systems across borders,” says Abili. “As someone looking to complete (medical practice and public health degrees), cancer is particularly interesting, because anyone can be affected.”
UW Carbone’s Global Oncology Program supports research and educational programs to reduce disparities in cancer research, care and prevention across the world. The program is led by Dr. S. Nabeel Zafar, a UW Health surgical oncologist and professor of surgery at UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
This new three-week study abroad course is designed for undergraduate students to build a cross-cultural perspective of cancer care by analyzing differences in public attitudes as well as limits in the health care infrastructure.
“There are so many aspects to it. It’s not only having the technology, but it's access to it, how often you get treated, or whether or not you trust your physician,” said Sofia Refetoff, PhD, who leads Global Oncology’s educational programming. “I think it really opened their eyes to seeing cancer burden and cancer care on a more global perspective.”
The course included lectures from 15 global oncology experts about topics such as barriers to cancer screening and prevention care, disparities in research data and funding, and ongoing work to implement practical solutions in different countries. In Copenhagen, students met with clinicians and researchers to learn how health systems operated differently from those in the United States.
Having never traveled outside of the United States before the course, Abili appreciated the chance to broaden her global health experiences.
“It was an experience learning how to navigate something completely on my own,” said Abili. “This was a great way for me to put myself out there and show myself that I have the capabilities to stay on top of things independently.”
Besides visiting local health centers and discussing with guest lecturers, students also were given time to learn about Danish history and immerse themselves in the local culture. Learning about the cultural attitudes around health and cancer helped students understand why health systems differ across the globe.
For students like junior global health major Catherine Reiher, one of the most impactful parts of the experience was meeting with professors, doctors and peers who also shared a passion for global health.
“In a networking sense, it was amazing to meet all of these physicians and researchers,” said Catherine. “As someone interested in the healthcare field, building those connections is really great.”
Refetoff and Zafar hope to expand the course offerings to include developing countries to highlight unique challenges of cancer care access in lower resource countries.
“They were able to explore all the different facets of oncology,” said Refetoff. “I think it really opened their eyes to recognizing that where you are in the world will impact your health journey.”