Why Global Health & Travel Medicine?

Travel gives us a chance to look beyond the healthcare systems we know and consider how other communities approach care.

It also raises practical questions:

  • How do you access medical care in another country?

  • What should patients know before traveling internationally?

  • Why do countries fund and organize healthcare differently?

  • What can successful public health programs teach us about prevention?

This course explores these questions with practical information, historical context, and room for reflection. As you learn about Japan, you’ll also consider the broader connections between healthcare access, prevention, and the communities we serve.

Designed Specifically for Medical Professionals

We assume you already know medicine. This course focuses on how to apply that knowledge when conditions are far from ideal—outdoors, internationally, or in crisis settings. This course is thoughtfully designed for:

  • Physicians (MDs/DOs)

  • Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants

  • Registered Nurses

  • Experienced healthcare professionals seeking austere medicine training

Why Learn With MedTreks

MedTreks brings together medical education, travel, and cultural discovery. Our courses create space to learn from faculty, fellow healthcare professionals, and the places we visit.

For this Japan course, presentations and accompanying handouts provide a foundation for conversations about how people receive care, how travelers can prepare, and what has helped public health efforts succeed.

We keep the learning practical and welcoming, with opportunities to connect the material to your own patients, experiences, and travels.


What You’ll Learn

Throughout the course, we invite you to consider what these lessons mean for your own work—and bring your questions into the conversation.

  • The Healthcare System of Japan – Explore how Japan’s healthcare system developed, how coverage is organized, and what visitors should understand about seeking medical care.

  • Travel Medicine – Learn the foundations of preparing for international travel, reducing health risks abroad, and addressing health concerns after returning home.

  • A History of Health Insurance – Examine how major healthcare financing models emerged and how those decisions continue to shape access to care.

  • Global Health Successes – Explore lessons from disease eradication and prevention efforts, including the roles of scientific advances, community participation, and sustained collaboration.

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome! We are so glad you are here

    1. Intro to Global Health

    2. Handout: Intro to Global Health

    3. Video: Intro to Global Health

    1. The Four Models

    2. Handout: How the US got Employer-Based Insurance

    3. Video: History of Insurance

    1. A Practical Overview For Travelers And An Introduction To The System

    2. A Brief History and Japan's Healthcare System

    3. Video: Healthcare System of Japan

    1. Stay Healthy When Traveling

    2. Travel Medicine vs Global Health

    3. Video: Travel Medicine

    1. A History of Global Health

    2. Handout: Global Health Successes

    3. Video: Successes in Global Health

About this course

  • Free
  • 16 lessons

Who This Course Is For

  • Love being outdoors and want to feel more prepared medically

  • Are curious about global health or humanitarian medicine

  • Want to volunteer or respond to disasters—but don’t know where to start

  • Travel internationally and want to practice safer, smarter medicine

  • Want CME that is practical, meaningful, and inspiring

Ready to Explore Japan—and a New Perspective on Healthcare?

Join Japan: Global Health & Travel Medicine to explore how people access care, how travelers stay healthy, and what we can learn from public health successes around the world. Bring your curiosity and clinical experience—we look forward to learning alongside you.

Enroll, Learn, and Apply!

Join us. Get prepared. And take your medicine beyond borders.