Program Electives

We have a wealth of elective opportunities for residents at Johns Hopkins Bayview and across all the campuses of Johns Hopkins University.  In addition, we encourage our residents to take advantage of the whole world of diverse clinical and non-clinical experiences that meet their needs and interests. These opportunities enrich the professional and personal development of our residents and enhance their abilities to care for the patients they serve.

As a resident at Johns Hopkins Bayview, you can elect to spend part of your training anywhere in the world, as long as the elective relates to your professional development. We have no particular site restrictions, but the Department of Medicine faculty members - many who hold joint appointments at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - can help you find an experience that matches your interests. 

In addition, we support an educational fund to which residents may apply for financial support towards electives or other professional development activities.

Examples of recent elective experiences include:

• International clinical and research electives in China, India, Barbados, Zambia, South Africa, and Uganda
• Clinical electives at the Indian Health Service sites, such as the Tuba City Indian Medical Center of the Navajo Nation in Arizona
• Research and public health advocacy at the Baltimore and New York City Health Departments
• Research at NIH institutes, such as the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute 
• Research at government agencies, such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Research at non-profit organizations, such as the National Resources Defense Council

Below are some quotes and pictures from our residents and alumni about their elective experiences:

"I spent 10 days in Haiti during the cholera outbreak and this was on of the most meaningful experiences of my life. I never thought I would ever treat someone with cholera in my lifetime. Treating patients with very few resources made me realize how incredibly fortunate to practice medicine in a country that has access to so much."

              - Dr. Linda Mobula '10 about her internal medicine elective with Samaritan Purse
                Cite' de Soleil, Haiti

"I mostly worked in the CCU there but also a little bit of cardiology outpatient clinic.  It was incredible!  I got to see an absolutely enormous volume of interesting cases and also got to see very different things than we see here.  Plus just seeing how healthcare systems are set up had two beneficial effects.  First I realized the benefits of some of the things we do well.  Second, it gave me all kinds of ideas as to how we could improve."

 - Dr. Venkatesh Murthy '08 about his cardiology elective at Narayana Hrudyalaya Hospital, Bangalore, India

"I worked with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Senior Advisor on Women's Health. I helped choose quality measures for preventive services for women with diabetes and those at risk for diabetes, and had the opportunity to attend policy meetings with her. I enjoyed my month at AHRQ because it gave me exposure to health services research and the role that AHRQ plays in helping to inform policy. It also helped me confirm my commitment to general internal medicine and research."

- Dr. Wendy Bennett '06 about her elective at AHRQ in Rockville, MD

"Having flexibility during elective time is fabulous and gives us the chance to explore different opportunities outside the expected. I was able to take a month and work at an environmental NGO in Washington, DC, looking at the the intersection between climate change and health."

- Dr.  Maria Said '08 about her elective at the National Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C.

"I plan to work in international health, so the opportunity to do research and clinical work overseas during my residency has been invaluable. The program leadership was instrumental in facilitating these experiences providing both moral and financial support."

- Dr. Alisha Wade '08 who completed two electives (clinical endocrinology and research) at the University of KwaZuluNatal, Durban, South Africa and conducted epidemiology research at the University of the West Indies, Barbados.