IAMAT |International Association of Medical Assistance to Travellers| IAMAT |International Association of Medical Assistance to Travellers|

Travel Health Journal

IAMAT Doctors

IAMAT women scholars

International Women’s Day: Celebrating Women in Travel Medicine

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we are proud to highlight the achievements of IAMAT women scholars. This year’s theme, Gender Balance, highlights the need for gender parity and how we can all play a role to advance the professional, social, and personal success of women. Historically, and still today in some countries, women have been prevented or discouraged from participating in medical fields. Although great progress has been made, supporting health practitioners who are women continues to be our goal, particularly in countries where opportunities for travel medicine training are limited. IAMAT Scholarships provide travel medicine training to doctors and nurses who need it most. Since its inception in 2002, the program has awarded over 30 scholarships to ...

Yetunde sitting at a desk.

IAMAT Scholars in action: Expanding travel medicine in Nigeria

We are pleased to introduce you to our latest IAMAT Scholar, Dr. Yetunde Fadipe of Nigeria. Yetunde received an IAMAT Scholarship to study and train with expert travel medicine faculty in London, UK. Last November, she participated in an intensive 5-day travel medicine course at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The training also involved clinical observations at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and at the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) where she learned how to provide pre-travel advice to travellers. IAMAT Scholarships are fully funded through generous donations from IAMAT members. They provide training in travel medicine to practitioners who are passionate about improving care in their community for local patients and travellers. Here’s ...

2016 IAMAT scholars Manuel and Weedgina

Travel medicine pioneers in Haiti and Costa Rica

A new frontier for IAMAT scholars We were thrilled to award the Stella & George Bryant Travel Medicine Scholarship to two deserving doctors in 2016. The scholarship enabled Weedgina St Vil of Cap-Haïtien, Haiti and Manuel Villalobos of San José, Costa Rica to take a travel medicine short course at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in November. Weedgina and Manuel also participated in clinical observation at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases travel clinic. We are grateful to Dr. Ron Behrens for organizing the course at LSHTM and making the clinical component possible. Meet Weedgina and Manuel Manuel and Weedgina are using what they learned to become travel medicine pioneers in Costa Rica and Haiti. Both ...

Angeline telling her colleagues about IAMAT at UTMB.

From Egypt to China: Scholars hone travel health knowledge

Exploring travel medicine and global health Cross-cultural experience is invaluable for travel medicine practitioners. Three of our scholars recently had the opportunity to hone their knowledge and skills with travel health experts in South Africa and the USA. Ahmad Mosad Ibraheem of Mansoura, Egypt attended a 5-day course in Johannesburg with the South African Society of Travel Medicine (SASTM). Meng Jing (Angeline) of Chengdu, China and Liu Chunfang (Kathleen), of Shenzhen, China spent 8 weeks studying tropical medicine and global health at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. Angeline and Kathleen currently practise travel medicine, while Ahmad is planning to introduce it into his practice. After they recovered from jet lag, we caught up with ...

Chinese scholars prepare for the ISTM exam

Supporting travel medicine in China

This article is part of our 55th Anniversary blog series. To learn more, visit our 55th Anniversary page. Building bridges across the Pacific In 1995, Dr. Elaine Jong, Chair of IAMAT’s International Medical Board and Assunta Uffer-Marcolongo, President were invited to attend the first Chinese Travel Medicine Conference in Shanghai. This conference was organized by Professor Gu Jin Xiang, a Chinese physician who foresaw the need for establishing travel medicine clinics in China, not only for visitors but also for Chinese travellers going overseas in ever larger numbers. Elaine and Assunta were invited to give lectures on travel vaccines used in Western countries, preparation of travellers for their journeys and discussions of the spread of infectious diseases through travel. In ...

Scholars make connections between tropical medicine and global health

We recently checked in with Dr Zhang Min from Guangzhou and Dr He Lei from Hangzhou, recipients of the 2015 IAMAT-China Travel Medicine Scholarship. Min and Lei are participating in an eight week Tropical Medicine and Global Health course at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston with Dr Lynn Soong, Professor of Microbiology/Immunology and Parasitology. Both Min and Lei are certified travel health practitioners. Min was IAMAT’s first scholarship recipient in 2002 and has mentored many of her Chinese colleagues preparing for the ISTM Certificate in Travel Health examination. The course covers epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of tropical infectious diseases. Min and Lei are also learning about major global health challenges such as treatment ...

Dr David Muchiri 2015 IAMAT Scholar

A love of travel and aviation: Introducing Dr Muchiri

We’re pleased to welcome Dr David Muchiri Munyi to the IAMAT family. Dr Muchiri is the recipient of this year’s IAMAT Violet Williams Travel Medicine Scholarship, which provides a full scholarship for an African doctor or nurse to attend a travel medicine course offered by the South African Society of Travel Medicine (SASTM). Dr Muchiri is a Senior House Officer in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Nairobi, Kenya. The AKUH is a teaching and referral hospital with residents Surgical, Pediatric, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Pathology and Radiology. Dr Muchiri will be attending the SASTM travel medicine training course in Johannesburg from May 13-17. We caught up with him to ...

Dr Elaine Jong IAMAT

Making a difference in the lives of travellers

This week, we’re sharing a letter to our members from Dr. Elaine Jong. Dr. Jong is Chair of IAMAT’s International Medical Advisory Board and Clinical Professor (Emeritus) of Medicine at the University of Washington. This article is part of our 55th Anniversary blog series. To learn more, visit our 55th Anniversary page. When IAMAT was established in 1960, travellers did not have timely information on health conditions at their destination: There was no country-by-country advice on food and water safety, climate and environmental conditions, infectious diseases like malaria, or even vaccine recommendations. The health of travellers was not a priority for the medical community, but IAMAT changed all that and became a pioneer in the field of travel health. ...

8 Things about Dr. Fredrick Kinama

Meet Fredrick Kinama of Nairobi, Kenya, our latest travel medicine scholar. Dr. Kinama received the inaugural 2014 IAMAT Violet Williams Travel Medicine Scholarship to attend a travel medicine certification course sponsored by the South African Society of Travel Medicine in May. Here are 8 interesting facts about Dr. Kinama and what he learned during his training in Johannesburg. Is 32 years old. Speaks English and Swahili, and is well versed in Taita, a Bantu language spoken in the Taita Hills on the south eastern border with Tanzania. Graduated from the University of Nairobi Medical School in 2008 and is certified in health management systems. Among his previous positions, he worked in El Wak on the border with Somalia providing ...

Why IAMAT Doctors Abroad Are Different

We are very pleased to include more doctors providing trusted medical care abroad to serve you better. IAMAT members now have new or additional coverage in the following cities: Antigua, Guatemala Athens, Greece Berlin, Germany Cuernavaca, Mexico Danang, Vietnam Derrygonnelly, N. Ireland Edmonton and Ottawa, Canada Iquitos, Peru Kandy, Sri Lanka Kathmandu, Nepal Kriel, South Africa Ludhiana, India Millsboro (DE) and Aptos (CA), USA Moscow, Russia Here are just a few reasons why our affiliated doctors and mental health practitioners are different: They speak English fluently. You won’t have to go through a medical translator to communicate your health concerns. They are vetted by our organization and clinics are inspected to ensure they meet international health standards. They volunteer ...