Download the International Visiting Physician Program brochure.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Partners International offers a series of short-term clinical experiences for international visiting physicians. Clinical interactions take place at Partners hospitals, including the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Many programs take place in more than one of these settings. The typical duration is about four weeks.

The focus of each program is tailored to meet individual academic interests, and is predetermined by mutual agreement between the visiting physician and his/her mentor. Mentors are members of the medical staff at the Partners hospitals and faculty of Harvard Medical School.

PARTICIPANT QUALIFICATIONS

Participating physicians are usually early- to mid-career specialists who are recognized as current and future leaders within their medical communities. Participants must be able to speak and read English with enough fluency to engage with colleagues in a dynamic and interactive clinical environment.

Previous participants have come from Algeria, Argentina, Bermuda, Egypt, India, Israel, Italy, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

PROGRAM DESIGN

Visiting Physician Programs are offered in Cardiovascular Disease and Oncology, as well as other specialty and subspecialty areas upon request.

Cardiovascular topics may include: heart failure and transplantation, electrophysiology, interventional cardiac catheterization, peripheral and cerebral vascular disease, acute coronary care, nuclear medicine and cardiovascular radiology.

Oncology topics may include: breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, and thoracic cancers, genitourinary cancers and other disease subspecialties.

Visiting physicians engage in weekly rotations, case conferences and clinical observation, as well as clinical and teaching conferences. Visiting physicians may be given an opportunity to present during clinical conferences if prearranged with program medical directors. Visiting physicians will participate in the program as a physician not licensed to practice medicine in Massachusetts, and will not directly participate in patient care.

SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS

Partners International administers the Visiting Physician Programs through agreements with sponsoring organizations. Sponsoring organizations may be members of the medical industry or other private corporations, private hospitals or medical groups, universities, government agencies, foundations or other charitable organizations. Participating physicians must have a sponsor. Physician candidates who can meet the program's financial requirements without a sponsoring organization should contact Partners International via email at: internationalvisitingphysicians@partners.org. A sponsoring organization agrees to:

• Sponsor a minimum number of physicians over a period of time (usually a minimum of 4 per year)
• Identify physician candidates who have demonstrated the potential to make significant contributions to medical care in their home institutions
• Outline candidates' clinical expectations and explain how such expectations are relevant to the candidates' future career needs
• Provide the candidates' curriculum vitae to Partners International for final screening and approval
• Fund the tuition and related expenses (temporary housing, living stipend, air travel to Boston) for each sponsored physician

ROLE OF PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL

Partners International assists sponsors and visiting physicians with the following:

• Identify the appropriate mentor and program that best suits the candidate's needs
• Manage all contracting and financial issues
• Provide information on local accommodations
• Arrange airport transfers
• Coordinate visitors' program schedules
• Review health documents required for temporary hospital identification badges
• Coordinate hospital orientations
• Grant certificates of participation

"The Visiting Physician Program gave me an opportunity to receive one-on-one attention from renowned specialists at high profile facilities." -- Dr. Temidayo O. Ogundiran, Nigeria

"Your faculty's endless patience and devotion to our success are an unmatched example of core values and partnership, not only to support our development, but also to support the places where we live and work." - Drs. Khalid al Faraidy and Ali Almasoud, Saudi Arabia