Exploring Opportunities Abroad

UCSF students can explore a diverse array of international opportunities to help you deepen your expertise, expand your perspective, and make a lasting impact in healthcare worldwide. Whether you’re seeking inspiration from student trip reports, exploring partnerships by region, or taking the first steps to establish a new collaboration abroad, this page is your guide to navigating the possibilities. Discover how to connect with UCSF mentors, leverage existing agreements, and set the foundation for an experience that aligns with your academic and professional goals.

 

Student Trip Reports

Review the Student Trip Reports for information about where UCSF students have traveled for academic work, what organization and mentor they worked with, the specifics of their role, their budget and funding, and what they thought about their time abroad. Most of the listed experiences are rotations, going back 20 years. Most of the records are for medical students, but we hope that the other schools will use this resource over time. To access this resource, you must be on the UCSF network or logged into the VPN.

Opportunities by Region

The programs listed on the Opportunities by Region resource have been reviewed and vetted by UCSF and should be open to UCSF applicants unless otherwise noted (some are not currently accepting applications). There are processes to explore other programs/organizations that are not included in this list. Contact Travis Pentz ([email protected]) for information about proposing a new site for consideration. 

Finding a UCSF Mentor

A UCSF mentor plays a crucial role in guiding your research or clinical work abroad, ensuring your experience is both academically enriching and professionally impactful. For research projects, your mentor—often the Principal Investigator (PI)—provides essential support and serves as a co-mentor if the project is external. If your mentor or their team is not on-site during your research, you’ll need an in-country research supervisor to oversee your work locally.

For clinical rotations, mentors help you set clear goals, provide ongoing support during your time abroad, and guide post-rotation reflections to integrate the experience into your academic pathway. Mentorship responsibilities include pre-departure meetings to establish objectives, weekly email check-ins during the rotation, and a post-rotation debrief to evaluate your progress and future directions.

If you haven’t already identified a mentor, two resources can help you get started:

  • IGHS Affiliates Directory: Explore faculty specializing in global health for mentorship opportunities.
  • UCSF Profiles: Search UCSF faculty across departments to find potential mentors aligned with your interests.