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

Travel Health Journal

IAMAT Scholarships

IAMAT scholars Angeline, Ahmad, and Kathleen

Say hello to our newest travel medicine scholars!

Meet Angeline and Kathleen We’re pleased to introduce our 2016 travel medicine scholars! Dr. Meng Jing (Angeline) of Chengdu, China and Dr. Liu Chunfang (Kathleen) of Shenzhen, China will be studying and training with Professor Lynn Soong at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. Both Angeline and Kathleen work at international travel healthcare centres providing pre- and post-travel services to travellers, students, and workers. The 8-week course in tropical medicine, travel medicine, and global health begins this week. Angeline and Kathleen will have the opportunity to learn about complex global health challenges through clinical and laboratory observations and in-depth discussions with other health profession students and physicians. This is the second year that UTMB has ...

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 ...

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 ...

Meet the doctors who will help you

Meet Vinay Vaidya from Nepal and Ali Raza from Pakistan. If you get sick away from home, you can count on them to help you. Vinay and Ali are both doctors who trained at Hainan Medical University for three months with the 2013 IAMAT-HAINAN Travel Medicine Scholarship. This was made possible thanks to the generous support from our members. Photo – Dr. Ali Raza, left, and Dr. Vinay Vaidya, right, at the Hainan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Ali Raza Ali’s goal is to one day practice travel medicine back home in Pakistan, specifically in the Khagan Valley, a beautiful mountainous area that attracts many tourists. He became interested in travel medicine during a trip to ...

Our Scholarship Program Just Got Bigger!

Thanks to the generous donations from our members, more students passionate about travel medicine can now apply for an IAMAT scholarship. We’ve just expanded our International Travel Medicine Education Program to Hainan Medical University in Haikou, China where two more students will now be able to train in travel medicine. This new partnership complements our existing travel medicine scholarship training site at the Kaiser Permanente Honolulu Clinic in Hawaii. IAMAT President, Assunta Uffer-Marcolongo, second on right, meets with Hainan Medical University staff and Vice President Zeng Yu, second on left. Photo courtesy of Hainan Medical University. The IAMAT Scholarship Fund is the only one of its kind supporting doctors and nurses from low income areas and typically popular tourism ...

IAMAT - The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers

Meet Sandy and Tatiana, our 2011 Scholars

We recently had the chance to skype with Tian Lingling (Sandy) and Tian Rui (Tatiana). Our 2011 scholars just completed a six-week intensive training course in travel medicine at the Kaiser Permanente Honolulu Travel Health Center. This scholarship program is sponsored by IAMAT, thanks to the generous support from our members. Currently, our scholarship program focuses on training Chinese scholars since China is one of the major travel destinations in the world. We are grateful to Dr. Vernon Ansdell, Dr. Johnnie Yates, and their colleagues at the Honolulu clinic for their invaluable mentorship. Some background… Tatiana is a general practitioner from Beijing and has 3 year old twins. Her work at the Beijing International Travel Healthcare Center involves doing ...

IAMAT Scholarships Benefit Scholars and Travellers

We recently caught up with our 2010 IAMAT Scholars, Li YunFeng (Aaron) and Dou YongYing (Colin), who just finished an intensive six-week training course at the Kaiser Permanente Honolulu Clinic. The two students were each awarded a scholarship last September through IAMAT’s International Travel Medicine Education Program. The initiative, which is solely funded through the generosity of IAMAT members, has supported 15 medical practitioners to train in travel medicine since 2002. This unique program provides an opportunity for doctors and nurses from developing countries to study in North America and return home to teach their colleagues. In turn, they help IAMAT expand its international Medical Directory. Both Aaron and Colin live in northern China. Colin is a doctor at ...

IAMAT - The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers

Meet Angeline and Winona, IAMAT’s 2009 Scholars

Angeline (right) and Winona (left).  We recently met up with Dr. Ye Wei (Winona) and Dr. Meng Jing (Angeline) to talk about their two-month internship at Kaiser Permanente’s Koolau Clinic and Honolulu Clinic in Hawaii. The two medical practitioners from China were each awarded a scholarship through our International Travel Medicine Education Program. The fund, which is solely supported by the generous donations of IAMAT members, has given 13 scholarships since 2002. Chosen for their leadership skills, the two doctors will return home to teach their colleagues the skills they have learned in Hawaii, improving travel medicine practices in their workplace for the benefit of ill travellers. The art and science of travel medicine During the two-month intensive training ...