The pediatric medical community faces a monumental opportunity.  Despite significant reductions in child mortality over the last 25 years, the gulf between the health of the wealthy and those plagued by poverty is at an unprecedented extreme and continues to widen.  Of the 10.6 million annual under-five deaths, 99% occur in developing countries.  The vast majority of these deaths are caused by preventable and treatable diseases with underlying malnutrition associated with half of cases.  Yet amidst this bleak picture, the world is more prepared than ever to bridge the gulf between the wealthy and the poor, and its citizens are acting in kind.  Concerted efforts by physicians, economists, politicians, public figures, clergy, pharmaceutical and medical technology industries, and other concerned global citizens are rapidly growing.  However, an underdeveloped and underfinanced medical infrastructure, the well-documented “brain drain,” and a shrinking health care workforce due to HIV have created an intense, immediate need for physicians and allied-health professionals in developing nations.  

            In the fall of 2004, the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center inaugurated the Global Child Health Initiative within the Boston Combined Residency Program in Pediatrics (BCRP).  The goals of the initiative are: 1) to increase knowledge and awareness of global health issues among all residents, 2) to provide specialized knowledge, skills, and mentorship to residents with career interests in Global Child Health, and 3) to provide high-quality opportunities for meaningful international clinical experiences.  Although our program is still young, the momentum has begun.  Almost a third of our program’s residents have expressed interest in the initiative, and many are involved in curriculum and IHE site development.  Please use the links on the left to navigate our site and learn more about our contribution to the struggle for global child health equity.