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Summary: We describe the creation of the Health Frontiers in Tijuana (HFiT) Undergraduate Internship Program (UIP), a novel global health experience for U.S. and Mexican undergraduate students based at the binational HFiT student-run free clinic. The UIP introduces students to a diverse underserved patient population, and U.S.-Mexico border public health.
Key words: Mexico, global health experience, border health, pre-medical education, health disparities.
Interest in Global Health Experiences (GHEs) among medical students and residents is rising. Those who have served disadvantaged populations are more likely to work in underserved areas and enter primary care medicine.1,2,3 Many medical schools and residency programs have increased funding and support for GHE programs.4,5 Global health experiences may influence career development in the health professions for premedical and other pre-health professional undergraduate students,6-8 though the impact of GHEs is understudied. This article describes a GHE for undergraduates: an internship program at a binational U.S.-Mexico student-run free clinic in Tijuana, Mexico.
Health Frontiers in Tijuana Student Run Free Clinic (HFiT) as a Clinical Training Site
The Health Frontiers in Tijuana (HFiT) was founded in 2011 as a binational student-run free clinic in Tijuana's red light district; it is five minutes from the U.S.-Mexico border9 and serves vulnerable populations (e.g., sex workers, deportees, substance users, the uninsured). The Clinic's mission is (1) to promote binational dialogue and collaboration among American and Mexican students; (2) to train students in community-based research, and foster cultural competency, technical proficiency in health care delivery to Spanish-speaking patients, and knowledge of U.S.-Mexico border issues; and (3) to offer mentoring opportunities to students.10 The HFiT clinic opens every Saturday and is operated by clinical faculty and students from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) Schools of Medicine. Clinical psychologists and marriage and family therapists and their students from UCSD and the University of San Diego staff HFiT's mental health program. Community workers who conduct harm-reduction activities are from Prevencasa, a non-governmental organization that provides space for the HFIT clinic to operate. The HFiT Clinic receives funding and in-kind support from Mexican and American donors and non-profit and governmental agencies.
Need for an Undergraduate Pre-Medical and Health Careers Internship Program
The HFiT clinic is a unique site for undergraduate students...