Virtual Mentor. July 2009, Volume 11, Number 7: 487-564. Full Issue PDF

July 2009 Contents

Medicine in the Era of Globalization

Ethics Poll

An FDA study of imported mail-order drugs found counterfeit, so-called “foreign versions” of FDA-approved drugs, improperly labeled drugs, drugs that failed to meet special storage conditions, and drugs that required physician monitoring. For reasons like these, it is illegal to import prescription drugs into the U.S., regardless of the cost savings. Which of the following statements best expresses your response to this situation?
People are smart enough to exercise caution and select drugs from reputable foreign sellers. The drug companies just want to keep drug prices high in the U.S.
People who are ill are vulnerable. The market rule "Let the Buyer Beware" is not sufficient protection for sick people.
A reliable "chain of custody" is not present in mail-order systems. If mail-order drugs could be reliably tracked from production to sales, they could and should be made available for import.

During the SARS and more recent H1N1 or "swine flu" pandemics, travel to disease “hot spots” was discouraged and some prospective travelers were quarantined. If you had vacation plans to travel by air to a city with a documented outbreak of H1N1 but no travel restrictions, would you:
Reschedule vacation and stay home.
Wear a surgical mask over your nose and mouth while traveling to and from your destination.
Go on vacation unmasked. There are always sick people around spreading viruses.

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From the Editor

Exploring Physician Responsibilities to the Global Community
Tanyaporn Wansom
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:489-491.

Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Prohibitive Cost of HIV/AIDS Therapy in the United States
Commentary by Jennifer Cohn
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:492-497.

Should Medical Education Fight International Brain Drain?
Commentary by Scott Barnhart
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:498-501.

Treating and Repatriating: An Unacceptable Policy
Commentary by William Greenough
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:502-505.

Medical Education

Beyond Medical Tourism: Authentic Engagement in Global Health
Frank W. J. Anderson and Tanyaporn Wansom
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:506-510.

Journal Discussion

Clinical Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Mark Boyd
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:511-515.

Clinical Pearl

The Team Approach to Management of the Polytrauma Patient
Stephen C. Morris
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:516-520.

Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

Court Support for FDA Regulation of Drug Importation
Kristin E. Schleiter
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:521-526.

Policy Forum

Patents, Pricing, and Access to Essential Medicines in Developing Countries
Brook K. Baker
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:527-532.

Medicine and Society

Travel in an Era of Transnational Health Threats and Global Health Governance
Dhrubajyoti Bhattacharya
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:533-540.

History, Art, and Narrative

History of Medicine

Michael Furnell’s Crusade against the “Local Influences” Theory of Cholera
Sheldon Watts
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:541-545.

Op-Ed and Correspondence

Op-Ed

Open Access to Medical Literature Can Boost Global Public Health
Gavin Yamey
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:546-550.

Resources

Suggested Readings and Resources
PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:551-562.

About the Contributors
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Virtual Mentor. 2009; 11:563-564.