Can you explain your tropical medicine skills?

Other Ways of Asking:

1. I see that you are from a tropical country. What value can you bring to our program from there?

2. Do you have experience in tropical diseases?

Rational and Importance:

What is Tropical Medicine?

Branch of medicine which deals with diseases (and related conditions) that are prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions is tropical medicine. Even though the definition is geographical in nature, this field by large deals with the diseases which are affected by climate, pollution, poverty, malnutrition, sanitation, infection and noncommunicable diseases in low resource countries/states.

Why do the US residency programs care about tropical medicine?

Contrary to the popular notion that tropical diseases are seen only in tropical countries, newer evidence shows that poor and marginalized people living in wealthy/industrialized countries are also affected by tropical diseases (example: West Nile, Dengue etc). Also, neglected infections of poverty in the US have much overlap with neglected tropical diseases. Branch of medicine which deals with diseases (and related conditions) that are prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions is tropical medicine. Branch of medicine which deals with diseases (and related conditions) that are prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions is tropical medicine. . So, it is not uncommon to encounter these tropical diseases during your residency training.

In order to cater the medical care to these tropical diseases and neglected infections of poverty in the US, large community programs and university programs have tropical medicine concentration, global health tracts or HIV tracts as a part of the residency. These programs also run travel clinics, help in homeless and refugee health or have research funding to perform international research. Medical universities also have affiliations with research labs and hospitals in tropical regions mainly to deal with education, research & development and public health intervention along with clinical medicine. The overall goal is to empower the local community.

Medical School Curriculum in Practice in Tropical Countries

Medical schools in tropical countries generally have curriculum catered to the locally prevailing diseases. So, the medical students/residents generally develop extensive expertise in areas like vector biology, mosquitoes, population based interventions. Some countries like India have a huge emphasis on tropical medicine and are a big chunk of social and preventive medicine. In addition, physicians in these countries are widely exposed in treating tropical diseases and are well aware about the barriers and challenges.

Bridge the Gap

If you studied medicine in a tropical country or have practised/volunteer there, you can positively utilize knowledge as one of your clinical strengths in your interview. This is particularly helpful when you are interviewing with county run residency programs (which cater to the low socioeconomic population) or university based residency programs who have such tropical medicine initiatives. Your skills and the program’s mission will be mutually beneficial.

Sample Response

Sample 1: I am trained in South India where there is socioeconomic disparity which has resulted in healthcare disparity. Moreover, while I was studying USMLE, I was practicing primary care medicine and I have treated these tropical diseases in day to day practice. In my part of the country, we see lots of snake bites and I have done my first epidemiological research on cultural barriers of snake bite care. While I was going through your program website, I recognized how much you value tropical medicine. In addition to the clinical skills I get to your travel clinic, I would love to go on international electives to Malawi, serve the population there and simultaneously learn.

Sample 2: I am from Upper Egypt which is a tropical region. I am exposed to a lot of tropical disease patients. I was also a public health officer working with the local Govt there leading population based interventions to elevate malnutrition among the pediatric population and enhance vaccine reach-ability. My long term goal is to go back to Egypt to practice medicine. When I am here getting trained in pediatrics in an advanced medical set up, I will bring my expertise of tropical medicine along with me and I am very hopeful that I can help in population based intervention curbing pediatric obesity here which Dr.Grant is leading. When I go back, I will take back what I have learned here which will be very helpful to the children there. I am very excited to take up the global health tract in your pediatric residency program.