Many of our residents and faculty have strong interest in global health and equity and are drawn to Harbor-UCLA for its diverse multi-national patient population. Working in Southern California, we are conscious of the border politics, and foreign and economic policies that directly affect many of our immigrant patient communities. Currently, Los Angeles County does not allow residents to use rotation time to international electives, and the housestaff union Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) continues to advocate to change this policy. Harbor-UCLA Residents, however, are resourceful and unstoppable, and spend weekends and vacation time going to Tecate, Chiapas, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Philippines and more. We also incorporate regular global health talks into our formal didactics.

Residents join UCLA undergraduate pre-health students (Latino Student Health Project) to provide crucially needed primary and urgent care to residents of Tecate, Mexico. In the last few years, residents have partnered with local promotoras and members of the community to implement a community needs assessment. This is another opportunity for residents to “think globally, and act locally”.