Diploma Course in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler's Health

Mission Statement

The Diploma Course program prepares health professionals with clinical backgrounds to deal with the important public health problems of tropical developing countries. This program prepares physicians to define the epidemiologic, biologic and social aspects of tropical diseases; it also prepares the participants to evaluate and plan disease prevention and control programs.   The Diploma course is a 4 month program for health care professionals intended to prepare them for the Certification Exam in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler’s Health offered every other year by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTM&H).  

Graduates of the Diploma Course degree program are prepared to:

• work overseas in disease control programs within tropical developing countries;
• plan and implement disease control programs at the local, provincial, national or international level;
• teach the most important diagnostic and management aspects of clinical tropical medicine, emphasizing public health issues related to the transmission of soil-borne, vector-borne, water-borne and other diseases.

Program Description

The program provides a structured curriculum with practical instruction in tropical medicine, including the pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and control of diseases prevalent in the tropics. All of the courses required for this program are also required for students in the master of public health and tropical medicine (MPH&TM) program.

Program Competencies

Students should be able to describe the clinical aspects of the major tropical infectious diseases, including their descriptive epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnostic methods, and treatment.  Tropical infectious diseases include parasitic, bacterial, mycobacterial, viral, fungal, rickettsial, and HIV/AIDS-related infections.      Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6330, TRMD 6360, TRMD 6050, TRMD 6070

Students should be able to demonstrate the clinical approach to specific disease syndromes commonly seen in the tropics, such as fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and altered sensorium.      Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360

Students should be able to describe the diagnosis and management of nutritional deficiencies in both children and adults.      Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360

Students should be able to perform routine diagnostic tests for tropical diseases using a microscope, including hematologic, bacteriologic, and parasitologic studies.  Competence must be demonstrated with hands-on laboratory experiences.  They should also be familiar with appropriate use of specialized diagnostic tests, including culture techniques, antigen detection tests, serologic tests, and clinically relevant molecular techniques.      Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6340, TRMD 6090

Students should be able to diagnose and treat non-infectious diseases or conditions common in the tropics, including food and venomous creature intoxications, heat disorders, high-altitude illness, and tropical dermatological problems.      Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360

Students should be able to describe the basics of pretravel counseling and disease prevention, including immunizations, malaria prophylaxis, and diarrhea management.     Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360

Students should specify the appropriate use of radiologic studies in the management of tropical diseases, including plain X-rays and more sophisticated techniques (ultrasound, CT, MRI, contrast studies).     Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360

Students should be able to train and supervise paramedical personnel such as nurse practitioners and health promoters in the management of common tropical disease syndromes, identification of ill or at-risk children through neonatal examination and growth monitoring, basic follow-up of pregnant women with criteria for referral, and immunization programs.      Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6350

Students should define and be able to describe the principles of infectious disease transmission in communities, as well as strategies for outbreak control at the community and regional level.      Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6320 or 6350

Admission Requirements

By offering this program in the fall semester, the Tulane Diploma Course has been able to take advantage of faculty and courses that were already established for the MPH&TM and MSPH programs. This strategy has also led to the development of new courses, developed exclusively for Diploma Course students, and to modification of the MPH&TM and MSPH programs. Applicants should hold the degree of doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathic medicine, or its equivalent from a recognized institution. Applications from other qualified health professionals, such as registered nurses and physician’s assistants, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Like the MPH&TM program, the Diploma Course is open to students in the Tulane University School of Medicine.
 
Applicants must also submit a career statement and written evaluations from 2 referees.  The TOEFL exam is required for applicants whose primary language is not English.  View the application.

Program Requirements

The program requires the equivalent of 15 credits of coursework, which can be completed in a single Fall semester. Because the Diploma Course does not award a master’s degree in public health, there is no requirement for core courses, practicum, or culminating experience.  However, students may arrange to apply credit hours from the Diploma Course toward a MPH&TM degree or another MPH degree. (Students must then complete the remaining requirements for the MPH or MPH&TM in order to receive those degrees.) Courses leading to the Diploma in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler’s Health are not offered in the Spring or Summer semesters.

Model Course Schedule

Fall Semester (Total: 15 hours)

           1. TRMD 6310 Clinical Tropical Medicine (2 hours)

           2.  TRMD 6330 Microbial Diseases of the Tropics (2 hours)

           3.  TRMD 6340 Diagnostic Laboratory Methods in Microbiology (2 hours)

           4.  TRMD 6350 Disease Control in Developing Countries (2 hours)

           5. TRMD 6360 Clinical Tropical Medicine Case Presentations (1 hour)

           6.  TRMD 7000 Tropical Medicine Seminar  (1 hour)

           7.  TRMD 6050 Medical Helminthology (2 hours)

           8.  TRMD 6070 Medical Protozoology (2 hours)

           9.  TRMD 6090 Parasitology laboratory (1 hour)

For more information: contact Rosie Chavez, rchavez@tulane.edu