U of O introduces Refugees and Global Health online program in Canada

All Canadian medical students, residents and practitioners now have full access to an innovative Web-based tool to enhance their understanding of medical care for refugees and new Canadians.

Conceptualized by Dr. Kevin Pottie, family physician at the Bruyère Academic Family Medicine Centre and associate professor at the University of Ottawa, the Refugees and Global Health e-Learning Program is the first online tool of its kind in Canada to follow the new medical education guidelines under the Canadian Medical Education Directives (CanMEDS). The tool uses seven online modules, including real case scenarios, video footage and practical questions designed to guide learners through training that gives them the knowledge and skills they need to excel in global health.

"Refugees and Global Health is an internationally unique, competency-based e-learning program," says Dr. Pottie. "Caring for patients around the world requires more than just knowledge of tropical medicine. The e-learning site gives students the chance to learn more about refugees and to recognize pitfalls and global health issues."

Modules and podcasts cover neonatal tetanus, suicide, domestic violence, malaria and post-traumatic stress disorder. Global health experts challenge the learner and provide practical reflections by linking users to recentevidence-based migrant-health guidelinesand to other readily available resources, all at the click of a mouse. The goal of the program is to prepare learners for a rewarding career in the emerging discipline of global health.

Drs. David Ponka and Doug Gruner, both Bruyère Family Medicine Centre physicians, also contributed to the project and are featured in the modules. Providing quality patient care to refugees and new Canadians is at the forefront of their Bruyère Clinic and the partner Wellness Centre at the Catholic Centre for Immigrants, which see 800 newcomers each year. Dr. Ponka also leads the uOttawa Department of Family Medicine Global Health Program and oversees two medical missions a year to the remote village of Kankintu in Panama.

"The Global Health Program strives to eliminate health discrepancies at home and abroad while exposing residents to the realities of working in the area of global health," says Dr. Ponka. "Family physicians are uniquely positioned to make a difference, and through this unique e-learning tool we will further enhance those working in a global-health capacity and educate those interested in pursuing a career in that field."