Adam Hoverman, DO, PNWU assistant professor of clinical sciences and family practice physician at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic spent 12 weeks in London participating in the 111th District Medical Officers course, an offering of the Royal College of Physicians to qualify for the Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
The course teaches doctors how to understand, diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases especially prevalent in tropical and developing countries where resources may be limited.
Among the 70 students who take the course each year, more than 25 different countries are represented. Students range in experience from recently qualified doctors to specialist infectious disease physicians and surgeons with many years of experience working in tropical and developing countries. The course is designed for physicians who intend to work in the tropics, physicians with tropical experience who have returned for a refresher, or practitioners who may be working in non-tropical countries and who need experience in clinical parasitology, imported diseases, and travel medicine.
Hoverman, who has developed a passion for global health and underserved populations since before starting his career as a physician, is the PNWU course director for clinical skills for first year medical students. He is also the director of global health at PNWU, and the advisor for the Global Health Interest Group.
“The Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene training is invaluable as it focuses on recognition, treatment, and control of the common and neglected tropical diseases, such as TB, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Chagas' Disease, as well as obesity, tobacco dependence, motor vehicle injuries, and the rising impact of the non-communicable diseases. Recognizing and addressing these conditions helps PNWU to meet our mission of serving rural and underserved populations in a variety of low-resource settings," Hoverman said.