About Scholarships
PHOTO CREDIT: Chetan Soni
Our travel medicine scholarships are the only one of their kind supporting practitioners from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Since 2002, IAMAT scholars have been trained to provide medical care to travellers before, during, and after travel. They apply their new knowledge and clinical best practices in their communities, expanding travel health services for inbound and outbound travellers alike.
How do the scholarships work?
Our travel medicine scholarships provide healthcare practitioners with the knowledge and practice to become recognized practitioners in travel medicine.
IAMAT scholars attend intensive travel medicine short courses offered by a recognized travel medicine society or university and participate in clinical observations at well-established travel clinics. After completing their studies, our scholars return home to teach their colleagues and medical students to expand travel medicine practice in their country. This unique program provides scholars with the practical experience to become certified practitioners in travel medicine.
Who are IAMAT scholars?
Our scholars are early-career, fully licensed doctors and nurses who see local patients and travellers in their practice but have not been able to access travel medicine training. IAMAT scholars are often already practising some aspects of travel medicine and have the capacity to widely expand the practice of travel medicine in their region or country, beyond their clinic or hospital. Many of our scholars are also lecturers at local medical schools and are affiliated with university teaching hospitals.
Where do IAMAT scholars train?
We partner with leading travel health clinics, academic institutions, and organizations that deliver the travel medicine course content and clinical observations.
For African scholars
- Course: Travel Medicine Course by the Southern African Society of Travel Medicine, Johannesburg
- Clinical observations: Travel Doctor Clinic, Johannesburg
For Latin American scholars
- Course: Formación en medicina del viajero by the Sociedad Latinoamericana de Medicina del Viajero (online) and Travel Medicine Short Course at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London
- Clinical observations: Hospital of Tropical Medicine and the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), London
For Southeast Asian scholars
- Course: Asian Clinical Tropical Medicine Course at Mahidol University, Bangkok
- Clinical observations: Select travel medicine clinics in Cambodia and Thailand
What do scholars do after training?
Upon completing their training, scholars return home to lend their expertise in travel medicine and improve health standards in their community, benefitting local patients and travellers.
Our scholars become leaders in travel medicine. In addition to providing travel medicine services to inbound and outbound travellers, past scholars have held workshops for clinic staff and local medical associations, expanded the travel medicine courses they teach at medical schools, and established travel medicine clinics. In the longer term, they have become clinic directors, immigration panel physicians, coordinated local and regional travel medicine networks, and contribute valuable research on travel health. Some of our scholars have gone on to establish travel medicine societies in their country.
Why are travel medicine scholarships needed?
There is a real need for travel medicine training in areas where inbound and outbound tourism trends are increasing. Often though, doctors or nurses in these regions cannot access training either because it is prohibitively expensive or not existent in their country. The high cost of travel for training also prevents many practitioners from studying travel medicine abroad. Our travel medicine scholarships help to address some of these barriers by providing full or partial funding for course tuition fees, educational resources, airfare and accommodations.
How do IAMAT scholars help travellers?
Our scholars are trained according to the latest travel medicine science and clinical best practices. They are familiar with medical conditions that commonly affect travellers and have a deep understanding of local health risks. IAMAT scholars speak English and one or more local languages, which allows them to help travellers navigate the local health system.
Thanks to the scholarships, doctors and nurses are better prepared to meet the needs of inbound and outbound travellers in their communities. They develop specialized travel medicine skills which they pass on to their colleagues, including how to conduct a pre-travel risk assessment. Scholars also fine-tune their leadership and cross-cultural communication skills. When doctors and nurses are trained in travel medicine, they’re better prepared to meet the needs of both local patients and travellers.
How are the scholarships funded?
Our Travel Medicine Scholarships are funded by generous gifts from our donors. A donation pays for our scholars’ course tuition fees, educational resources, and accommodations. When you donate, you help our scholars get the training they need to provide trusted medical to travellers and improve health standards in their community.
Our donors make a huge difference in the lives of our scholars and their travellers. Whether you are travelling or not, you can support our scholars with a donation. You can also leave a legacy gift in your estate to sponsor a full scholarship in your name to bring travel medicine to more countries and travellers.
