An anonymous $25,000 gift has helped established the Joan M. May Fellowship Fund, which will allow one Medical College student each year to take an international elective in a developing country. The gift recognizes the legacy of Joan M. May, who was assistant dean for financial aid for 25 years and most recently coordinator of the Office of International Medical Education (OIME).
Each six-to-eight-week student project will have a host-country sponsor that offers a recognized program in areas such as public health work or biomedical research.
"Weill Cornell sees itself as a leader in international medicine and views student-exchange programs as a very important component to education," says Dr. Madelon Finkel, director of the OIME. "Our international program is something the students value dearly. Many point to the program as a key factor in their decision to attend Weill Medical College."
The first recipient of the fellowship, Michael Walton, traveled to Argentina during the spring. A fourth-year medical student, Walton studied Chagas disease, a regional malady transmitted by insects, under a program that Weill Cornell had developed with the Hospital San Bernardo in Salta. He also spent time in a psychiatric hospital, preparing for his residency in psychiatry at Weill Cornell in the fall.
Joan May, Michael Walton, and Dr. Madelon Finkel celebrate Walton's honor as the first recipient of the May Fellowship.
Throughout his medical school career, Walton has shown an interest in international medical education, especially in Latin countries, where his knowledge of Spanish serves him well. After his first year at the Medical College, he was selected for the MEDICC program in Cuba, to study public health perspectives on child and family care. Before entering medical school, he traveled to Peru and Ecuador. He even speaks a South American dialect called Quechua, having studied it as an undergraduate at Cornell University.
Ms. May is now retired and serves on the faculty's International Committee to select fellowship recipients.
Weill Medical College of Cornell University is one of the leading medical schools in the field of international medicine. For over 50 years Weill Medical College faculty have been actively involved in research and health care in many parts of the developing world, including major projects in Brazil and Haiti.
Through the Office of International Medical Education, Weill Medical College students are able to explore international medical careers while enhancing their understanding of health care, especially in settings without advanced technology. Between 20 and 40 percent of the College's fourth-year class, and between 10 and 20 percent of the first-year class, choose to study abroad. In 2005, 40 students volunteered in 22 countries, as part of eight separate international elective programs. For more information, please visit http://www.med.cornell.edu/international/abo/index.html.
Photo by Melissa Hantman.