Brief Overview of United States Involvement in Global Health Training since World War II

The past decade has witnessed a surge of interest in and critical analysis of the involvement of the United States in the training of health professionals from developing countries. Furthermore, since the year 2000, approximately one-quarter of US medical school graduates have participated in an international elective.¹ Accompanying this increase in exchanges and collaborations is a growing dialogue about the implications, both positive and negative, to such partnerships, particularly their effect on the developing country partner. To inform both continued expansion of international training partnerships and discussions about the safeguards of the interests of the participating nations, institutions, and individuals, an examination of the rich history of the US in these endeavors is useful.

PEPFAR, US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, USAID, US Agency for International Developement