A proposed model curriculum in global child health for pediatric residents

Objective: In response to the increasing engagement in global health (GH) among pediatric residents and faculty, academic GH training opportunities are growing rapidly in scale and number. However, consensus to guide residency programs regarding best practice guidelines or model curricula has not been established. We aimed to highlight critical components of well-established GH tracks and develop a model curriculum in GH for pediatric residency programs. Methods: We identified 43 existing formal GH curricula offered by U.S. pediatric residency programs in April 2011 and selected 8 programs with GH tracks on the basis of our inclusion criteria. A working group composed of the directors of these GH tracks, medical educators, and trainees and faculty with GH experience collaborated to develop a consensus model curriculum, which included GH core topics, learning modalities, and approaches to evaluation within the framework of the competencies for residency education outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Results: Common curricular components among the identified GH tracks included didactics in various topics of global child health, domestic and international field experiences, completion of a scholarly project, and mentorship. The proposed model curriculum identifies strengths of established pediatric GH tracks and uses competency-based learning objectives. Conclusions: This proposed pediatric GH curriculum based on lessons learned by directors of established GH residency tracks will support residency programs in creating and sustaining successful programs in GH education. The curriculum can be adapted to fit the needs of various programs, depending on their resources and focus areas. Evaluation outcomes need to be standardized so that the impact of this curriculum can be effectively measured.