Travel
Before purchasing flights or making reservations, please follow these steps to apply for travel approval as needed (see the first paragraph for more information).
At least two weeks before departing, please submit the Pre-Departure Checklist through REDCap. If you have questions, please email Elizabeth Rose.
Travel approval process (updated April 28, 2022)
Approval for Vanderbilt medical students (including MD and other medical master and doctoral degrees such as public health and pharmacology) to travel internationally for course credit is now being considered. As the COVID-19 Pandemic is still dynamic, travel and approvals may be subject to review. Before planning travel or registering in a global health course or international activity with travel, please review the US State Department’s Travel Advisories.
At least 30-90 days prior to intended travel, please submit the Student application for international travel in the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. It may take 2-4 weeks for a travel approval decision to be made. Please do not purchase tickets or make reservations until final approval is received. Approval will remain contingent on the risk level of the countries you will be traveling in and through.
Pre-Departure Modules
Engaging in global health experiences can be exciting but before leaving it is important to understand the cultural context in which you be working and the ethics that surround short-term medical “missions.” Many well-intentioned students have inadvertently caused harm to communities during their global health engagements and being able to recognize these issues will help you to avoid such problems and to have a productive global health experience.
Our Pre-Departure page includes modules that are designed to provide an introduction and orientation to fieldwork in global health. Many of them were initially created and compiled as part of a Vanderbilt University School of Medicine fourth-year immersion course called “Delivering Primary Care in Resource-Limited Settings” and have been key components of pre-departure curricula for many subsequent courses.
Travel Health Resources
Our Travel Health Resources page includes information about insurance, Vanderbilt health clinics, and other resources regarding pre-travel, travel, and post-travel health.
Safety Resources
Our Safety Resources page includes information about Vanderbilt’s travel safety requirements for students, U.S. government recommended travel safety resources, and how to find out/what to do if you’re travelling to a country on a restricted travel list. Be sure to review the Pandemic guidance for international travel webpage.
Country Specific Resources
Understanding the country and region in which you will be working and living is vital. On our Country Specific Resources page we have compiled information to help students begin learning about common countries where Vanderbilt students have been engaged in global health experiences.