International Health Education
The Boston Children’s International Health Education program offers clinicians around the world the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in health care with in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning programs customized to meet the unique needs of international audiences. Observership programs require English language proficiency; simultaneous translation may be available for some of our group courses and programs.
Observership program
The observership program at Boston Children’s Hospital provides knowledge of best practices to improve pediatric care worldwide and promotes a collaborative environment for exchange of ideas. Observerships are informal learning experiences and do not constitute formal training or patient contact. They are offered to health care providers across a number of departments and can range from one to 12 weeks, although most programs limit the duration to four weeks.
As part of the curriculum, observers may shadow clinical activities and procedures and attend daily rounds, lectures, seminars, and other interdisciplinary conferences occurring in the hospital.
Currently available programs:
- Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine
- Allergy and Immunology
- Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Critical Care Medicine
- Dentistry
- Developmental Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- General Surgery
- Genetics and Genomics
- Infectious Diseases
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Newborn Medicine
- Nutrition (for dietitians)
- Ophthalmology
- Otolaryngology
- Plastic Surgery
- Psychiatry
- Pulmonary
- Rheumatology
- Simulator Program
- Urology
- And more
Eligibility
Participants of the observership program are generally:
- Practicing clinicians with a specific pediatric subspecialty background of interest
- Current trainees (i.e. residents or fellows with a demonstrated interest in a specific pediatric subspecialty
Our observership programs are not intended for medical students. We encourage medical students to apply to the Harvard Medical School Clerkship Program.
How to apply
After applying:
- Your application will be reviewed by both the International Health Education program and your desired clinical department.
- Our International Health Education team will reach out to you once the review of your application has been completed. This generally takes four to six weeks.
If your observership is approved, you will:
- Receive a letter of acceptance with instructions on onboarding requirements
- Need to obtain a visa (B1/B2 or ESTA). Boston Children’s does not sponsor visas
- Be responsible for your travel and housing arrangements
The week prior to your start date, you will receive instructions via email on obtaining your Boston Children's ID badge and where to report to on your first day. You will not be able to obtain your ID prior to your start date. You will receive more details on your schedule on your first day.
After the program, observers will receive a certificate of participation and will be eligible to join the alumni network.
Questions? Contact the Observership Office at Observership.Program@childrens.harvard.edu.
Boston Children's offers customized educational programs through seminars and courses, which can be delivered both in-person or virtually, based on the specific needs of organizations. These programs are typically requested by hospitals or organizations, rather than individuals, and are tailored to specific disciplines and desired levels of experience. The curriculum is designed to incorporate knowledge of clinical, educational, and management practices, featuring lectures and discussions by Boston Children's physicians, nurses, and administrative clinical leaders. The programs aim to provide valuable insights and knowledge in subspecialty clinical areas, by sharing the latest updates, best practices, and evidence-based clinical guidelines. Additionally, Boston Children's invites teams of pediatric healthcare leaders to visit their institution and learn about their management and operations, including the behind-the-scenes infrastructure required to run a high-quality pediatric institution. This allows teams to gain a comprehensive understanding of Boston Children's approach to governance, safety and quality, education and training, and more. To request a customized program, please contact the Program Director of International Health Education, Cynthia Garibaldi, at Cynthia.Garibaldi@childrens.harvard.edu.
Please check back for program announcements.
Through the generous support of the New World Group Charity Foundation, physicians from China are selected to receive a scholarship to spend up to 12 weeks in the Observation Program at Boston Children's. Candidates for the program demonstrate:
- A strong commitment to improving pediatric health care in China
- A strong interest in learning best practices in pediatric medicine and healthcare leadership
- A vision of how they would take the knowledge gained at Boston Children's back to China
The Scholarship Program is supported by Mr. Adrian Cheng, Executive Vice President and General Manager of New World Development Company Ltd. Between 2017-24, there have been 18 Adrian Cheng New World Observers across seven specialties. The awardees have transferred skills acquired at Boston Children's to their hospital in China, thus impacting pediatric healthcare in China. This page will be updated if more scholarships become available in the future. For additional information please email our office at Observership.Program@childrens.harvard.edu.