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International Health Database

The information on this page was compiled by the MSS Global Health and Policy Committee. Please note that the AMA does not endorse nor partner with any of these groups or organizations. Individuals interested in pursuing an opportunity abroad should contact these groups directly. If you have information that you would like included on this site, please email the MSS at mss@ama-assn.org.

Organizations that offer medical electives

Organizations and foundations committed to international health

University sites with international opportunities

International mission trips

Residencies with international opportunities

Travel information resources from International Health Medical Education Consortium (IHMEC)

US State Department Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets provides country-by-country information relevant to health, safety, visa and entry requirements (this is especially important since travelers may be unable to board planes if they don't have the necessary visa), medical facilities, consular contact information, drug penalties, etc.

US Agency for International Development provides foreign assistance and humanitarian aid. Listed site provides a wealth of information about population, health and nutrition.

Centers for Disease Control Travel Information — Sections include: Reference Material (a wealth of information about diseases, locations, specific precautions); Disease Outbreaks; Additional Information; Geographic Health Recommendations.

CIA Publications and Factbooks includes among its sections: World Factbook [provides a wealth of information on virtually all countries]; Handbook of International Economic Statistics; CIA Maps and Publications Released to the Public.

Global Medicine Network provides a free means for establishing contacts among individuals and organizations working in IH and global medicine. Cooperative relationships are promoted in areas such as humanitarian service, medicine and supply donation, research, health education and visitor exchange. A primary goal of this website is to provide the mechanism by which members can personally contribute to the improvement of health conditions in underserved areas of the world.

Heathlink Worldwide (formerly AHRTAG) is an organization committed to improving the health of the poor by strengthening the provision, use, and impact of information. It connects developing country partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Healthy Communities describes the Healthy Communities project, now well established in the US and gaining links overseas. This project seeks a comprehensive approach to the development and maintenance of healthy urban life.

Hesperian Foundation publishes low cost, practical books for use in all aspects of IH practice at the community level.

International Health and Traveler's Medicine [Medical College of Wisconsin/Milwaukee]

Library of Congress Country Studies Detailed information on many of the countries of the world prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. The site has an impressive search engine that can search across the data base for any combination of words, ranks the hits in order of closeness to your search terms, and then provide links to the desired text.

MedAct is the British chapter of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War but their activities go well beyond that focus. They provide a variety of teaching-learning materials, including a Global Health Curriculum for use in health professional schools.

Population Reference Bureau provides a wealth of information about U.S. and international population trends, and links to numerous population-related websites.

Research funding opportunities are listed by the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Researcher Information Service, with links to resource institutions, and includes a search engine for resources by persons based at participating institutions.

Supercourse in Epidemiology, the Internet and Global Health (at U of Pittsburgh) — This course has over 1600 lectures on online by more than 1000 faculty, grouped into various categories; a rich source of materials and ideas.

Teaching Aids at Low Cost (TALC) lists & distributes many health-related teaching aids that are provided in low cost format and often multiple languages for use by health care providers and patients in developing countries. They have introduced a CDROM project with extensive information for health workers in developing countries.

Telephone information — Worldwide telephone directories, access codes, numbers (including a searchable database of telephone numbers), consulates and voltage rates.

Weather provides national and international weather forecasts plus lots of more detailed weather-related information.

Yahoo provides an annotated hyperlinked list of many international health organizations that can be obtained using the search term "international health relief and development."

Additional information

AMA Resident and Fellow Section is committed to providing its members withinformation about exciting opportunities for expanding their medical experience, including foreign residency rotations overseas.

AMA Senior Physicians Section has compiled information on overseas physician volunteer opportunities.