ENLACE Global Health Elective

ENLACE Global Health Elective

Unlike traditional brigade or mission formats, the ENLACE Global Health model avoids creating dependencies and undermining local healthcare systems. By partnering with local agencies and prioritizing ethical engagement, ENLACE fosters sustainable collaboration and minimizes potential harm. The program emphasizes critical reflection, ensuring participants understand the potential impact of their involvement and contribute meaningfully to the community."

The ENLACE model provides an immersive clinical experience in El Salvador, pairing students with local physicians affiliated with IU School of Medicine. To foster cultural humility and understanding, students live with host families in the community, immersing themselves in daily life. With over 70 hours of personalized one-one-one Spanish instruction, students have ample opportunity to practice their language skills while interacting with hosts, healthcare professionals, and patients. The program emphasizes ethical considerations and cross-cultural sensitivity, ensuring participants are aware of the potential pitfalls of volunteering in a context of power, affluence, and resource disparities.

Program occurs each February. 

Contact: Jennifer Custer

For more information and application

When asked to reflect on how the Global Health Elective will benefit participants as future health care professionals, one 2024 participant shared, “While this program had many benefits for me including improving my Spanish language skills and cultural humility, I feel the major benefit of this program to me for the future was as a model for good, sustainable, community‐focused global health impact. I hope to continue to participate in global health experiences throughout my career and with the knowledge and exposure gained from this experience I believe I will be better equipped to critically analyze potential global health programs and identify those who truly adopt a community‐centered, sustainable approach and direct my time and effort towards working with those communities.”