Marquette first partnered with the University of Pretoria (UP) School of Medicine and Christian Outreach for Africa (COFA) in 2024.  MUPA Associate Professor Michael Toppe, PA-C developed the rotation for PA students in 2016, and the first Marquette students will do clinicals there in Spring of 2025.

Groups of 3-4 clinical year students register with UP’s department of Family Medicine, and train alongside South African medical and clinical associate students in an academic teaching hospital setting in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.  The clinical rotation provides an opportunity to learn about health care from a global perspective, develop cross cultural skills, improve clinical exam skills in a low technology medical setting, and exposure to diagnosing and managing a variety of infectious diseases (HIV, TB, parasites).  Students rotate through family medicine, OB/GYN, emergency medicine, and surgery.  Students also spend time at the school (St. Peter’s) and orphan care (Amajuba) related projects coordinated by the hosting organization COFA.

Learn more about COFA at: https://africaoutreach.org/

Student impact:

• From a prior student: “The rotation in South Africa was the rotation of a lifetime…during my time there, I had the opportunity to see how medicine was practiced and managed with minimal resources compared to the US…I would recommend this rotation to anyone.”
• Increased confidence in physical exam skills, procedural skills and reading X-rays
• Greater appreciation for wholistic patient care using the 3 stage assessment (clinical, individual, and contextual)
• Understanding of cultural differences and approaches to healthcare
• Opportunity to work interprofessionally with an underserved population

In addition to the clinical experience, students typically safari at the Kruger National Park: https://www.krugerpark.co.za/