As medical schools innovate in teaching Global Health, medical anthropology and social accountability, the Medical School for International Health in Israel, has developed an introductory course that combines the teaching of key Global Health competencies with experience gained on student placements in local communities and NGO’s.

A practical and lecture-based course was developed that focuses on understanding local communities, social capital and how much can be achieved by the community themselves through effective partnerships and the development of local infrastructure. Medical students were supervised in local communities, where they met patients in their homes. Students learned about patients’ health, access to healthcare services, personal perceptions of health and disease and the social determinants of their health.

Of a class of 37 students, 14 interviewed a patient (4 students interviewed more than one patient). The remaining 19 students opted to undertake literature reviews or biomedical research. Case-based discussions were held in class with particular emphasis on the analysis of Global Health problems. These were then written up as Global Health case reports.

Practical placements have introduced students to the diverse ethnicities and cultures in Israel. More needs to be done to help them make sense of what they have seen and heard, and more anthropological training and support is planned for the course next year.

To really understand the complexity of Global Health problems and their effects in patients’ lives, students need to be enabled to get close to patients, have the opportunity to see how they live and appreciate what they think.