MSU School of Health Professions launches first study abroad program
Contact: Marianne Todd
MERIDIAN, Miss.—Mississippi State will soon accept applications for an emerging study abroad experience that will change the way Bulldogs view healthcare delivery.
Led by Lesley Clack, School of Health Professions dean, the MSU-Meridian program Comparing Health Systems: A European Perspective is designed to positively impact quality of care provided at home. It is expected to accept 12-45 students and be joined by Megan Hatch, clinical education program director for the university’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies.
Students may learn more at the Starkville campus when MSU-Meridian leaders visit the upcoming Study Abroad Fair on Oct. 14. A forthcoming website will provide more information and accept applications.
Participating students will take a two-week tour through Rome, Italy, and Athens, Greece, May 18 through June 2, with credit options for both undergraduates and graduate students.
“I’ve seen the difference it makes for students to be able to view healthcare from a different lens,” Clack said. “We’re going to learn about how healthcare is financed, how it is reimbursed, how people in these countries access it and what the healthcare outcomes are. Students who have this experience are more aware of cultural differences versus treating everyone the same way.”
Open to students across all MSU majors, participants will interact with professionals in settings such as hospitals; long-term and mental-health facilities; and midwifery, obstetrics and gynecology clinics. The program also will examine the role culture plays in health outcomes, including how diet, nutrition and lifestyle affect varying populations.
Clack traveled to Italy last year to begin designing the program’s framework. She previously led five study abroad trips to institutions in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland and is preparing MSU students to think about healthcare models globally.
“The U.S. excels in scientific advancement, new technologies and medications,” Clack said. “The question is where the gap lies between spending and life expectancy.”