Globalisation and health

Towards more comprehensive health law and policy research

In this comment, and drawing on the papers in the special issue, we ask: what are the core questions for the future of research into health law and policy, and European health law and policy more specifically? We first sketch the general functions and values of health law and policy. We then outline how these functions and values are affected by globalisation and Europeanisation, on the one hand, and technological change and digitalisation, on the other. In light of these developments we carve out some questions for future research and the implications of this agenda for the academic community that is working on European health law and policy.

International Health Electives: Four years of experience

More than 2 million people each day move across international borders as a consequence of increases in international travel, trade and immigration. Medical electives are an important and expected part of the medical curriculum in many medical schools and many students travel abroad to do their electives. This part of the course has not been subjected to the rigorous analysis of learning processes and expected outcomes that have been matters of course for other components of the medical curriculum. This paper explores issues around the elective period in the UK describing the current status of medical electives in medical schools and presenting the experience of an innovative programme in which a 4-week module on International Health was linked with the elective period. The paper describes how it is possible to incorporate into the medical curriculum a preparatory module for students planning to take an overseas elective, with potential positive outcomes.