Study Abroad
More than 65% of Richmond students complete a study abroad. Because cultural awareness and skills are critical for health professionals, 100% of HS majors and minors are encouraged to participate in a semester-long, summer, or short-term international education program in addition to engaging with cultural learning opportunities on the UR campus.
Several UR partner organizations offer special health-focused study abroad programs. For example, the International Honors Program from SIT Study Abroad offers community health programs that involve visiting multiple countries (like Argentina, India, Jordan, and South Africa) within a single semester. DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia (Denmark and Sweden) offers core courses for pre-med and public health students that involve local field trips and weeks-long study trips to other European countries. CIEE offers summer sessions focused on community public health in countries such as Argentina, Botswana, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom as well as semester-long programs.
Another model for study abroad is to be a visiting student at a partner university. This option allows UR students to select a set of health-related and other courses that fulfill UR degree requirements. HS students have had transformative experiences studying in dozens of countries, including (among others) Australia, Ghana, Ireland, Italy, France, Hungary, Kenya, India, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Visit the GatewayAbroad website and search within the Health Studies subject area to identify study abroad programs that offer health-related programs and courses. Your academic advisor and advisors from the Office of International Education can help you make a great selection and being preparing for your cross-cultural experience.
Meet a Health Studies major
Lindsay Pett, ’21 described her experience comparing rural and urban healthcare in the United States, Vietnam, South Africa, and Argentina during her Fall 2019 semester study-abroad program as eye-opening. “Some of us visited a Vietnamese health clinic located about two hours from Hanoi,” Pett said. “Because the roads were too narrow to accommodate cars, we climbed into a run-down golf cart at the clinic to travel to a neighboring village. Eventually, the road became so narrow that we had to leave the golf cart and walk the remaining three miles to the village. The physical distance these villagers have to travel to access healthcare is challenging.”
She gained insights into European healthcare when she spent her Spring 2020 semester in Copenhagen, where she studied epidemiology and became a Center for Epidemiology and Screening research assistant at the University of Copenhagen School of Public Health. When the coronavirus pandemic forced her to leave Denmark, she completed her work remotely. “My summer project involved looking at long-term mammography screening in the Copenhagen region,” Pett said. “I researched factors that make women ages 50 to 65 more or less likely to adhere to the government’s recommended two-year screening protocol.” Pett plans to pursue a career in public health. “I like to evaluate data, but I also want to be the boots on the ground collecting data,” she said. “I love to interact with people. As a public health professional, you can have such a large impact—you can impact global health.” Read more.
Sample HS Study Abroad Programs
Health studies students can choose their study abroad sites from dozens of programs. Here is just a partial list of options. Use Gateway Abroad to access the full list."