• Gryphon Login
  • MyCourses
  • Alumni
  • UCLA Health
  • Contact Us
Prospective Students

Prospective Students

Prospective Students
  • Admissions
    Procedure & Timelines
    • Admissions Timeline
    • Admissions Procedure
    • Basis of Selection
    • COVID-19 Impacts on Admissions
    • Housing Information
    • Interview Process
    • Prerequisites
    General Information
    • Statement of Diversity
    • Mission Statement
    • Curriculum Resdesign
    • Honor Code
    • FAQs
    • Admissions Brochure
    • Admissions Timeline
    • Admission Procedure
    • Basis of Selection
    • Competencies
    • COVID-19 Impact on Admissions
    • DACA Applicants
    • DGSOM Mission Statement
    • Equity and Diversity Inclusion
    • FAQs
    • Honor Code
    • Housing Information
    • Interview Process
    • Virtual Events
  • Outreach & Pipeline Programs
    Summer Pre-Health and Postbaccaluareate Programs
    • UCLA SHPEP
    • UCLA PREP
    • UCLA RAP
    Outreach and Recruitment
    • Contact and Events
    • Mailing List
    • Summer Pre-Health and Postbaccalaureate Programs
    • Stay Connected
    • Join our Mailing List
  • Financial Aid & Scholarships
  • Degrees & Programs
  • Curriculum
  • Student Life
    Why Choose UCLA
    • Research
    • Clinical Work
    • Service Opportunities
    • Global Health Impact
    • Why You'll Love LA
    Campus Life
    • Student Organizations
    • Annual Events
    • Day in the Life
    • Around Campus
    • Photo Galleries
    • Medical and Research News
    • Medical Student Council
    • Geffy Guide
    • Search Campus and Health News
    • Service Opportunities
    • Global Health Impact
    • Why You'll Love LA
    • Photo Galleries
    • Day in the Life
    • Around Campus
    • Medical and Research News
    • Search Campus and Health News
  • How to Apply
  • Gryphon Login
  • MyCourses
  • Alumni
  • UCLA Health
  • Contact Us

Prospective Students

Search Campus and Health News

Search Campus and Health News

Search Campus and Health News

  • Health News
  • A Day in the Life
  • Around Campus
  • Medical and Research News
  • Health News
  • A Day in the Life
  • Around Campus
  • Medical and Research News
  1. Home
  2. Prospective Students
  3. Student Life
  4. Search Campus and Health News

Search Campus and Health News

Share this

Day in the Life

Title

Global health education programs at UCLA

Day in the Life

Date
08/15/2016
Article

Anthony Bui, Global Health Interest Group Co-Coordinator

Thinking about going abroad in medical school? Considering a career in global health?

The UCLA Center for World Health (CWH) offers a variety of global health education programs for students at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. First-year students can participate in a short-term training program in global health research, while fourth-year students can complete a clinical elective abroad.

But medical students don't have to travel overseas for global health exposure. Along with the CWH, the student-led Global Health Interest Group (GHIG) hosts lunch talks, informational sessions, documentary screenings and expert panels on campus.

Here, Anthony Bui, co-coordinator for the GHIG, discusses global health education programs at UCLA:

Becoming a doctor and leader

The son of Vietnamese refugees, Bui's interest in alleviating poverty and health disparities began in childhood. "We traveled a couple times to Vietnam, and I got to compare the life my cousins had versus my own. I started becoming very aware of the income and health disparities that exist across different countries."

During his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, he worked with public health nonprofits in India, Uganda and Vietnam. Then he spent five years as a healthcare and economic development consultant and global health researcher.

Along with improving public policy, Bui also wanted to help individuals. While working with the Uganda Village Project during his time as an undergraduate, he helped to create health education programs for an impoverished village.

"After one presentation, a woman approached me," he recalls. "Her baby had fever and chills; possibly malaria. I told her, 'You should go see a doctor.' She said she had tried going to the health center. She would wait in long lines, but the doctor wouldn't come. There were also drug shortages. I realized that while I wanted to continue working on these larger systemic issues, I also wanted to help this individual. That motivated me to go into medicine."

Joining the GHIG

Soon after arriving at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Bui attended a student fair where he met leaders from the GHIG and CWH staff and faculty. He soon took on the role of co-director for the Los Angeles Global Health Conference.

For this day-long symposium, the GHIG brought in global health leaders, researchers and physicians to talk about their experiences and opportunities to effect change throughout the world. Keynote speakers included Christopher Elias, MD, president of the Global Development Group at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Rishi Manchanda, MD, chief medical officer of The Wonderful Company.

At the conference, students were also invited to sit at faculty-led discussions during lunch, where they could learn more. "It was a way to connect students with potential mentors and people they could work with in the future."

Along with the CWH, the GHIG hosts lunch talks and seminars throughout the year, featuring global health speakers from the UCLA community and other worldwide institutions.

"As students, we're all trying to figure out what's next on our trajectory. Hearing from and speaking to researchers and faculty members in global health helps us carve out that next step."

Ongoing opportunities

Bui says there are many other global health education programs at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, from the short-term training programs to the Global Health Pathway curriculum.

"There are just so many opportunities, depending on your interest level. You can hear a global health talk about AIDS, do a clinical rotation in Peru, and/or take a year off to get a Master in Public Health. The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA faculty members and CWH staff care deeply about cultivating student experiences and helping us grow. Down the line, I see myself being a clinician who cares for individuals while working to address population-level problems. The mentors I've made at UCLA have shown me that's possible."

By Taylor Mallory Holland

Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare
Top 10 U.S. Medical Schools
  • Giving
  • Publications
  • Newsroom
  • Weekly Digest
  • Directory
  • Contact Us
  • Diversity
  • Emergency
  • Maps & Directions
  • UC Regents
  • Abuse Free
  • Volunteer
  • Biomed Library
  • Disability Resources
  • UCLA Health
  • Smoke-Free
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
Top 10 U.S. Medical Schools
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare