When Global Becomes Virtual: A Survey of Virtual Global Health Education Activities During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Pediatric Educators.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, global health education activities were disrupted. Transitioning to virtual options has allowed educators and trainees to continue global health education and partnerships, though the acceptability and implementation of this transition is unknown. Objective: To evaluate current and planned virtual global health education activities (VGHEAs) of a group of US global health educators during the COVID-19 pandemic and to assess perceived benefits and challenges of VGHEAs. Methods: A cross-sectional study of pediatric faculty and trainees involved in global health education from 8 institutions in the United States were surveyed anonymously about their global health education activities in 2021. Authors used representative convenience sampling and invited at least 1 faculty member and 2 trainees from each institution in the Midwest Consortium of Global Child Health Educators. Results: All 8 institutions responded to the survey, with 38 faculty and trainee participants. Institutional implementation of virtual education activities was variable. Respondents reported that VGHEAs allowed them to maintain partnerships with low-middle income countries, though they noted that unreliable internet connections presented challenges. One program reported funding cuts to its global health program during the pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for global health education programs. Educators and trainees are interested in using potentially cost-saving VGHEAs to maintain international collaborations, continue global health education efforts, and even increase access to equitable educational activities despite pandemic disruptions.

Establishing a Virtual Global Health Education Partnership: The Cleveland-Cusco Connection.

Introduction: The Cleveland-Cusco Connection (CCC) elective was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue global health (GH) education for Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco (UNSAAC) medical students. The CCC elective was held over Zoom and aimed to promote international collaboration, knowledge about health systems, and perspectives in GH with synchronous and asynchronous learning. Methods: Peruvian and US medical students participated in six monthly sessions consisting of student presentations and large and small group discussions. The elective was led collaboratively by CWRU and UNSAAC students. We evaluated students' experience using pre- and post-course surveys. Results: Nineteen students (76%) completed the post-course survey. The median rating for meeting each course objective was "somewhat effective" on a 5-point scale ranging from "very ineffective" to "very effective." All respondents would recommend the course to a friend. Common barriers included language challenges, fatigue from other coursework, and technology issues. Seven students' pre- and post-course surveys could be linked. The number of students who agreed with the statements assessing course objectives increased for all questions between the pre- and post-test, with only the number agreeing that they understood the Peruvian healthcare system increasing significantly (p < 0.05). Discussion: The CCC elective provides a valuable GH educational opportunity via a virtual platform. Students reported that learning from their peers was effective and enjoyable. Conclusion: Virtual GH electives like the CCC may offer benefits in terms of cost, equity, and flexibility and merit further investigation. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01626-6.

Establishing a Virtual Global Health Education Partnership: The Cleveland-Cusco Connection

Introduction The Cleveland-Cusco Connection (CCC) elective was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue global health (GH) education for Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco (UNSAAC) medical students. The CCC elective was held over Zoom and aimed to promote international collaboration, knowledge about health systems, and perspectives in GH with synchronous and asynchronous learning. Methods Peruvian and US medical students participated in six monthly sessions consisting of student presentations and large and small group discussions. The elective was led collaboratively by CWRU and UNSAAC students. We evaluated students’ experience using pre- and post-course surveys. Results Nineteen students (76%) completed the post-course survey. The median rating for meeting each course objective was “somewhat effective” on a 5-point scale ranging from “very ineffective” to “very effective.” All respondents would recommend the course to a friend. Common barriers included language challenges, fatigue from other coursework, and technology issues. Seven students’ pre- and post-course surveys could be linked. The number of students who agreed with the statements assessing course objectives increased for all questions between the pre- and post-test, with only the number agreeing that they understood the Peruvian healthcare system increasing significantly (p < 0.05). Discussion The CCC elective provides a valuable GH educational opportunity via a virtual platform. Students reported that learning from their peers was effective and enjoyable. Conclusion Virtual GH electives like the CCC may offer benefits in terms of cost, equity, and flexibility and merit further investigation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01626-6.

Weakness, Numbness and Urinary Incontinence in an 11-Year-Old Female

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) affects the central nervous system (CNS) via a rapid and auto-immune process. It has been associated to viral and bacterial infections, as well as after immunization. Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, reports of COVID 19 infection have been linked to ADEM. We present a case of an 11-year-old female with neurological symptoms during the acute phase of her COVID-19 illness, with MRI changes and positive Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies, with clinical presentation consistent of ADEM.

Perceived roles, benefits and barriers of virtual global health partnership initiatives: a cross-sectional exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Virtual global health partnership initiatives (VGHPIs) evolved rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure partnership continuity. However the current landscape for VGHPI use and preference is unknown. This study aimed to increase understanding of GH partners' perspectives on VGHPIs. METHODS: From 15 October to 30 November 2020, An online, international survey was conducted using snowball sampling to document pandemic-related changes in partnership activities, preferences for VGHPIs, and perceived acceptability and barriers. The survey underwent iterative development within a diverse author group, representing academic and clinical institutions, and the non-profit sector. Participants from their professional global health networks were invited, including focal points for global health partnerships while excluding trainees and respondents from the European Economic Area. Analysis stratified responses by country income classification and partnership type. Authors used descriptive statistics to characterize responses, defining statistical significance as α = 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 128 respondents described 219 partnerships. 152/219 (69%) partnerships were transnational, 157/219 (72%) were of > 5 years duration, and 127/219 (60%) included bidirectional site visits. High-income country (HIC) partners sent significantly more learners to low- to middle-income country (LMIC) partner sites (p < 0.01). Participants commented on pandemic-related disruptions affecting 217/219 (99%) partnerships; 195/217 (90%) were disruption to activities; 122/217 (56%) to communication; 73/217 (34%) to access to professional support; and 72/217 (33%) to funding. Respondents indicated that VGHPIs would be important to 206/219 (94%) of their partnerships moving forward. There were overall differences in resource availability, technological capacity, and VGHPI preferences between LMIC and HIC respondents, with a statistically significant difference in VGHPI acceptability (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between groups regarding VGHPIs' perceived barriers. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic disrupted essential partnership elements, compounding differences between LMIC and HIC partners in their resources and preferences for partnership activities. VGHPIs have the potential to bridge new and existing gaps and maximize gains, bi-directionality, and equity in partnerships during and after COVID-19.