A Wayne State University medical student, Arielle Wenokur, recently won top honors for her presentation at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health’s annual meeting in Los Angeles. She pursued her medical degree with a scholarly concentration in global health and participated in the School of Medicine Office of Medical Student Research Programs’ scholarly concentration track. Her winning poster was titled “Assessing Knowledge of Global Healthcare Systems in Medical Education.”

The project focused on analyzing medical student knowledge of global health care systems based on their exposure to global health education. The results showed that students who attended a lecture series on the topic had greater knowledge, while those with previous education or experience in global health had greater confidence in their knowledge. Despite this, their actual knowledge levels were comparable to the control group.

Based on the analysis, Arielle concluded that education on global health care systems should be incorporated into the medical student curriculum. Research has shown that global health education leads to more competent physicians with enhanced clinical diagnostic skills, physical exam skills, and cultural competency. The Global Health Concentration at the School of Medicine is rooted in the Global and Urban Health Equity certificate program, providing students with interprofessional competencies in global health.

The Office of Medical Student Research Programs at Wayne State University is committed to guiding students through scholarly projects and research opportunities. This dedication is part of the WSU Prosperity Agenda, which promotes mobility for all students by fostering opportunities like research concentrations and supporting attendance at national meetings for presenting related projects. For more information on scholarly concentration opportunities at the School of Medicine, visit https://medstudentresearch.med.wayne.edu/sc