A 'home far away from home' for medical students

When Sebastian Leder, a medical student from the University of Vienna in Austria, came to the Wake Forest University School of Medicine to complete his clinical education, he found not the usual student apartment but an inviting house waiting for him.

"'Welcome home!' was what I thought, seeing the Global Health House for the first time," said Leder. "This fabulous house has become my home far away from home, and it's a perfect location right across the street from the hospital. Furthermore, the Global Health House gives me the opportunity to become friends with medical students from all over the world."

In celebration of Leder's "home far away from home," a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the medical school's new Global Health House on Monday, Nov. 16. William B. Applegate, M.D., president of Wake Forest University Health Sciences and dean of the medical school, and Steven M. Block, M.B., B.Ch., senior associate dean, made remarks.

The house has been owned by the medical school since 1991 and was previously used as a rental property. It has recently been refurbished to provide a residence for medical students who are completing their clinical education experience through international affiliation agreements with the medical school. The first occupants of the house besides Leder are Nobuyuki Ikeda from Tokai University in Japan and Marlies Antlanger, also from the University of Vienna. The students arrived at the end of September.

"We hope that the house will provide a comfortable and welcoming residence for medical students from other countries, and that they will regard it not simply as a place to rest, but as their home in Winston-Salem," said William B. Applegate, M.D., president of Wake Forest University Health Sciences and dean of the medical school.