Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41522794›Full record

ArticleAnnals of global health2026

Pathways to Clinical Training Opportunities for International Medical Students and IMGs: The California Experience.

Margaret Akey, Brian Groves, James C Hudspeth, Tracy L Rabin, Sarah Cortez, Rebecca Silvers, Joseph Novotny, Fekir Negussie, Patti Orozco, Phuoc Le and 9 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of global health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Margaret AkeySchool of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4928-5911
Brian GrovesInternational Students and Scholars Office at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, CA, USA.
James C HudspethDepartment of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, MA, USA.
Tracy L RabinDepartment of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, USA.
Sarah CortezHuman Resources in the Department of Anesthesia at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, CA, USA.
Rebecca SilversInstitute of Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, CA, USA.
Joseph NovotnyOffice of Research at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, CA, USA.
Fekir NegussieInstitute of Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, CA, USA.
Patti OrozcoInstitute of Global Health Sciences, Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, CA, USA.
Phuoc LeMedical Education at Vin University College of Health Sciences in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Riya SawhneyProgram in Global Surgery and Social Change in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard University in Boston, MA, USA.
Nakul RaykarProgram in Global Surgery and Social Change in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, in Boston, MA, USA.
Michelle ArteagaGlobal Engagement Programs Manager in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine, Division of Global Health Equity at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, CA, USA.
John A Davis RodriguezMedicine and Vice Chancellor of Education & Student Affairs at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, California, USA.
Maureen CurranAdministration and Business Development in Health Sciences International at the University of California, San Diego, in La Jolla, CA, USA.
Susan ByekwasoMakerere University, College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda.
Faysal SaabMedicine and Pediatrics in the Hospitalist Section at the University of California, Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Norkamari Shakira BandolinEmergency Department at the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento, CA, USA.
Michael S LipnickDepartment of Anesthesia at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, CA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many global health initiatives involve partnerships between US academic institutions and low- or middle-income country (LMIC) institutions, but substantial inequities exist in short-term clinical education exchange opportunities for LMIC institutions. US medical students and physicians frequently participate in clinical experiences abroad; however, equivalent opportunities in the US for LMIC medical students and international medical graduates (IMGs) are limited, inconsistent across states, and, for IMGs, typically restricted to observerships. The authors aimed to identify pathways that facilitate clinical training and educational exchanges between California academic medical centers (CA AMCs) and LMIC institutions, and to explore the barriers and enablers for international medical students and IMGs to engage in clinical training in California. The authors conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with global health education stakeholders at CA AMCs and performed a desk review using PubMed, gray literature, and resources from the US State Department, Medical Board of California, and CA AMC websites to ensure the accuracy of information presented. Key institutional challenges include liability concerns, limited program capacity, and funding constraints; additional barriers specific to IMGs include restrictive visa policies and medical board regulations. Enablers included innovative funding mechanisms, existing administrative infrastructure, and, for IMGs, familiarity with visa processes, and the use of the Medical Board of California's Special Permits to enable participation in hands-on patient care. Several potential approaches emerged to reduce barriers and support hosting international medical students and IMGs in hands-on clinical roles at CA AMCs. While these findings offer practical strategies for expanding such exchanges within California, they also highlight the need for broader policy changes, including advocacy for a new visa category dedicated to short-term clinical training exchanges. This article advances the discourse on decolonizing global health by identifying mechanisms to allow equitable, bidirectional clinical training opportunities.

Indexed as

Academic Medical CentersEducation, MedicalForeign Medical GraduatesGlobal HealthInternational Educational ExchangeStudents, MedicalCaliforniaDeveloping CountriesHumansbidirectional exchangeCalifornia academic medical centersclinical trainingequityglobal health educationinternational medical graduatesinternational medical partnershipsinternational medical studentsmedical education

Identifiers

PMID41522794
PMCPMC12785761

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.