Abstract
Objective The aim of the study is to investigate the design, content, and administration of
global health curricula within ophthalmology residency programs in the United States
(U.S.) and share the curriculum utilized in the Department of Ophthalmology at Boston
University School of Medicine (BUSM).
Design A survey designed through the Association of University Professors in Ophthalmology
platform was emailed to residency program directors at 106 accredited ophthalmology
residency programs.
Setting BUSM Department of Ophthalmology, Boston, MA. Tertiary clinical care.
Participants Twenty-eight ophthalmology residency program directors responded, which represent
26% of the total number of residency programs in the United States. Twenty-seven programs
fully completed the survey, and one program partially completed the survey.
Results Of the respondents, three programs do not include global health curricula. The most
common curricular elements included are: lectures (n = 15, 60%); wet laboratories (n = 10, 40%); and journal clubs (n = 9, 36%). In terms of annual frequency, global health activities occur: twice a
year (n = 12, 46%); less than once a year (n = 10, 39%); or every few months (n = 4, 15%). Fewer than half of programs (n = 10, 42%) incorporate local outreach at least once a year into their program. Twelve
programs (48%) do not incorporate ethics-related topics, while the 13 remaining programs
(52%) incorporate them at least once annually. The most common curricular topic is
surgical techniques, with manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) being the
most frequently emphasized (n = 17, 68%).
Conclusion A robust global health curricula combined with a hands-on international component
can contribute to a well-rounded training experience. Many ophthalmology residency
programs value the importance of incorporating global health into their residents'
training. The most common elements of global health curricula in U.S. ophthalmology
residency programs included are teaching of surgical techniques for resource-limited
settings and international electives. Further investigation into the impact of different
components of a global health curriculum on both resident experience and international
partnerships is warranted.
Keywords
global health - international health - ophthalmology residency - outreach - ethics
- curriculum - curricula
