Background: Place-based international electives that build global health competencies have existed for decades. However, these electives require travel and are infeasible for many trainees around the world, particularly those with insufficient financial resources, logistical complexities, or visa limitations. The emergence of virtual approaches to global health electives, catalyzed by the travel pause related to the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitates the exploration of learner impacts, participant diversity, and curricular frameworks. Child Family Health International (CFHI), a non-profit global health education organization that partners with universities to expand immersive educational offerings, launched a virtual global health elective in 2021. The elective drew on faculty from Bolivia, Ecuador, Ghana, Mexico, the Philippines, Uganda, and the United States.Objective: This study aimed to describe a newly developed virtual global health elective curriculum and evaluate the demographics of and impacts on trainee participants.Methods: Eighty-two trainees who were enrolled in the virtual global health elective from January to May 2021 completed both 1) pre-and post-elective self-assessments of domains of competency mapped to the elective curriculum and 2) free text responses to standardized questions. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistical analysis, paired t-testing, and qualitative thematic analysis.

Bidirectional, interdisciplinary cultural exchanges result in increased understanding of cultural differences allowing for better international collaboration. The success and sustainability of cooperative agreements depend on regular continued communication with each partner institution, along with a key contact person “on the ground” in each participating country. International efforts represent an exciting beginning of people-to-people involvement in the global quest for improved access to safe surgical, anesthesia, and medical care in developing countries. Academic institutions are uniquely positioned to make a global impact helping others through the bidirectional exchange of education, research, and culture. International efforts can have a recognizable impact on partner locations. All individuals and institutions involved continue to learn from the knowledge and examples of others to further enhance their impact. Continued evaluation and reevaluation are important to improve the experience and achieve the needs and objectives for all involved participants.