Office of International Programs
UCSF School of Medicine
Travel Abroad Check List
Health and Safety
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Check the US Department of State web site: http://www.state.gov/travel/ for any travel warnings and country information specific to your intended destination.
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Register with the US consulate in your host country. https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/home.asp
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Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ for any health alerts specific to your destination.
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Visit the UCSF Student Health Service to discuss specific preventive interventions you may need. For example:
If you might be exposed to needle sticks in an HIV endemic area, you may consider taking post-exposure prophylactic medication (PEP kit) with you.
You should be immunized against Hepatitis A well in advance of traveling abroad (two doses required).
You should have an up-to-date dT.
You might need to take malarial prophylaxis in an endemic country.
If you might be exposed to TB, you should get a PPD in advance of your travel and again after your return.
You might want to take a supply of common medications (antibiotics, pain relief, Pepto-bismol, etc.) with you when traveling to isolated areas.
You should assure your health and evacuation insurance status through the UCSF Student Health Service so that you are aware of appropriate procedures should you need to use them while you are abroad, or purchase additional coverage if necessary.
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Leave emergency contact numbers with the Office of International Programs, your family, and at least one close friend.
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Make copies of the face page of your passport, one to keep at your home in the US and the other to take with you, kept separately from your passport.

Research
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If you are planning a research project in which original data will be collected and reported, you are responsible for determining whether or not approval is required from the Committee on Human Research prior to beginning your project. Our Policy on Institutional Review Board Approval for Research is available at the OIP website under "Resources." Your UCSF mentor can help determine the need for such approval. We may ask you to submit documentation of IRB approval prior to reimbursement. For additional information, please contact me at 415-476-3115.