IHE: Peru

Peru is a country of contrasts: strolling through the center of Lima, evidence of the Spanish conquest remains engrained in balconies and entryways of churches and buildings, while the district of Miraflores, luxurious high rises stud the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean; walking along Avenida Larco, the cosmopolitan atmosphere is permeated with a mixture of the lively South American culture and tropical trees and flowers. Juxtaposed against the antiquity of central Lima, and the modernity of Miraflores are the pueblos jovenes sprawling over the hills; homes of thatch and corrugated metal, many without electricity and running water contain the workforce of this city of over 8 million people.

The people of Peru are a mixture of indigenous cultures, and descendents of Spanish, Japanese, and African ancestors. Meals usually include seafood, poultry, pork, or beef, served with rice, potatoes, or beans. The food is not spicy, but can be adjusted to a tongue searing heat with the addition of aji. The weather varies between comfortable during the winter (June - October) to more humid and hot during the summer months.

Medical care in Lima varies according to ability to pay; free medical care is available to Peruvians who have seguro social, but the majority of the people rely on the medical care provided at the government subsidized public health clinics, which only charge nominal fees. Modern diagnostic tools, such as MRI are available at private medical clinics and some hospitals, but are only available to the wealthy or patients able to raise money through community fundraising events, such as pollada, where the patient's family roasts and sells hundreds of chickens at neighborhood gatherings.

Students will work at Clinica de Salud Publica "Barton del Callao", Instituto de Ciencias Neurologicas and Instituto Materno-Perinatal. To learn more about health issues in Peru you may want to review some these papers. Students must be flexible and willing to adapt to changing schedules. To view photos of prior IHOP and IHE students who have worked in Peru, click here.

Clerkships available

* Family Medicine or OBGYN or Urology: Students may work at Clinica de Salud Publica "Barton del Callao", a public health clinic that serves families in the morning, and commercial sex workers and homosexual men in the afternoons. Students may do research on cervical shedding of HTLV-I with the assistance of a digital colposcope.
* Neurology: Students may work at Instituto de Ciencias Neurologicas, a neurological institute, where they will have the opportunity to study tropical spastic paraparesis and other tropical neurological diseases.
* OBGYN or Pediatrics: Students may work at Instituto Materno-Perinatal, a hospital for women and children, where they will study the use of nevirapine to prevent vertical transmission of HIV.
* Medicine: Students may participate in ongoing HPV vaccine research and clinical studies.

Foreign Language

Fluency in Spanish is a requirement for this site.

Required Activities

1. 30 minute presentation on a topic of interest to your mentors and co-workers. Because you will have limited access to the internet and to journals in Peru, it is highly recommended that you collect all necessary information prior to leaving the United States.
2. Public health outreach
3. 10 minute presentation for members of the UWSOM administration and Puget Sound Partners for Global Health upon your return to the United States.
4. 5-10 digital photos of yourself with patients and staff on site. Be sure to ask permission from patients and staff before taking any photos.
5. Complete and turn in your activities diary, Evaluation form, receipts and Expense Report form and receipts to Daren Wade, Program Manager, Health Sciences Global Training Resource Center, C-314 Health Sciences Building, Box 356355, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.

Optional

1. Students may choose to work in multiple clinics and hospitals depending on their interests.
2. Students can arrange to work in public health or rural clinics through the site coordinators.
3. Students also have the option of studying topics related to vaccines, disease transmission and attitudes about various public health issues
4. Naval Medical Research Institute Detachment (NAMRID): Depending on availability of opportunities, students may participate in outbreak investigation or study HIV seroprevalence in South America. (The cost of travel related to these activities, ~$400, is the responsibility of the student, and is not included in the IHE stipend.)
5. Additional opportunities may be available depending on student interest.

Travel

* Visas are required for non-tourist travel to Peru. To apply submit an application form, passport photo, proof of return/onward transportation, a letter of invitation and statement of trip purpose from the site in Peru, and $27 fee. (For more information, see the U. S. State Department and the Consulate General of Peru, Tel (213) 252-5910.)

Housing

Students will be housed with families living near the clinics(s) where they are working. Families will be given $7/day/student in exchange for housing and 1-2 meals per day when they are home. Students are expected to have their own room in the home and to live with other Peruvians their own age.

Safety

You will not be provided with protective TB masks at the hospital. It is important that you bring your own NIOSH-certified particulate filter respirator. A list of NIOSH-approved N95 disposable particulate respirators (including supplier/manufacturer and contact numbers) may be found here.

Traffic accidents are the major cause of injury or death for students in overseas programs. Read more about how to protect yourself at the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) website. The ASIRT has compiled Road Travel Reports for 150+ countries. You can order copies of these reports at no charge. The U. S. State Department also provides safety suggestions. Finally, you may find this recent article in the New York Times helpful.

Budget

You are required to purchase all items outlined in the budget. You must bring with you needlestick prophylaxis and other listed supplies. This is NOT optional.

This budget is approximate. We have done our best to estimate the costs students might incur. If your costs exceed the stipend you are given, these costs will be your responsibility to cover. If you underspend the budget allocated for a particular item, you may apply the excess funds to any other item in the budget except food. The amount allocated for food is not intended to cover all your food expenses.

Telephone/Internet

Students will have limited e-mail access in the clinics and hospitals. If this is not sufficient, students may also use the numerous internet/phone cafes in Lima. It is recommended that you bring telephone calling-cards with you.