Berlin-PoznanWeek-Long Study Tour | Medical Practice & Policy Program

Required Course(s)
Human Health and Disease: A Clinical Approach
Fall/Spring semester

This week-long Study Tour to Berlin and Poznan introduces you to the nuances of medical practice in two distinct healthcare systems. Germany has a system that is well-established and internationally regarded as efficient and holistic in view. Poland emerged from the fall of the Soviet Union with a healthcare system that is advancing in leaps and bounds, making it an interesting case study in innovation.

In Berlin, you have the opportunity to visit a leading hospital as well as meet specialists, providing you with unique insight into Germany’s healthcare system. In Poznan, you spend the mornings observing physicians at the university hospital where you will be able to see a variety of procedures first-hand. This provides you with additional clinical experience, and will also highlight the various challenges medical practitioners face.

Through your discussions and visits with healthcare providers, you will gain an understanding of key issues involved in healthcare today, such as demographics and economy; healthcare promotion and infection control; allocation of technology, money and resources; organization of and entry into the health system; and patient-doctor relationships. By the end of the Study Tour, you have new perspectives on the strengths and challenges of the German and Polish healthcare systems, and how they compare to your experiences in Denmark and the United States.

Tour Objectives

  • Compare and contrast medical practice in Denmark, Germany, and Poland
  • Observe examples of clinical practice and research with clinical relevance
  • Describe and experience medical practice in a social, international, and scientific context

Possible Activities

  • Hear a lecture at one of the Charité University Hospital Departments
  • Tour of Berlin Family Planning Center
  • Visit Poznan University Hospital of Medical Sciences (pediatrics, gynecology, and perinatology wards)