The South Texas Environmental Education and Research (STEER) program of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio offers medical students and residents, public health students, and nursing students opportunities to learn about environmental medicine and public health along the U.S.-Mexico border using a "hands-on" approach. During a one-month elective, students learn about indoor and outdoor air quality, water and wastewater, heavy metals, rabies, tuberculosis, dengue fever, herbal and folk medicine, international health programs, and risk management. Located in Laredo, Texas, the program offers unique opportunities to learn about health care in the area where "standard patient protocol" takes on a whole new meaning. Environmental and medical challenges include the availability of potable water, lack of access to medical care, cultural differences, and the health practices of another country. Faculty from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the University of Texas School of Public Health, local university and college professors, and health professionals from federal, state, and local agencies teach in the course. Students participate in a variety of service-learning opportunities, which have included programs to teach colonia residents about hygiene in preparing safe drinking water, an asthma prevalence study, environmental house calls, and a pesticide-exposure study in young children. Students study environmental medicine and public health in a unique setting, one that provides a community-based learning experience that cannot be found in any textbook. See steer.uthscsa.edu
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1) describe key features of a successful community-based environmental education program for health professions students, and 2) recognize the powerful role of in vivo experiences in helping students understand environmental, socio-economic, and cultural influences that affect patients' health in this transnational setting.
Keywords: Environmental Health, International Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.