The Society of Hospital Medicine Launches Global & Rural Health Foundation

Foundation to Support Domestic and International Efforts to Advance Equitable Care for Acutely Ill Patients Through Travel and Equipment Grants

Earlier this month, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) launched the SHM Global & Rural Health Foundation in service of its mission to promote high-value care and optimal outcomes for acutely ill patients. Hospital-based clinicians and practice administrators are eligible to apply for either a travel grant or equipment grant to support these efforts through the new foundation, both in rural community hospitals in underserved regions of the U.S. and in missions serving remote villages around the world.

“SHM aims to contribute to the greater dialogue about the scope of inequities in acute patient care,” notes Flora Kisuule, MD, MPH, SFHM, President of SHM’s Board of Directors. “By affording this opportunity to members of the hospital medicine community, we hope to shed light on these inequities and reward those who seek to make a difference both at home in the U.S. and abroad.”

Travel grants will support recipients in visits to facilitate program work conducted through established nonprofits, such as Doctors Without Borders, or a global health program run through a nonprofit academic health center. Equipment grants are available to applicants working in a not-for-profit hospital setting who have a plan to benefit a specific target population with equipment funded through the foundation. All applications will be reviewed and vetted by a committee of SHM and hospital medicine leaders.

“Hospital medicine continues to grow and thrive, and the launch of the SHM Global & Rural Health Foundation underscores our efforts to advance SHM’s mission and assist our hospital medicine colleagues dedicated to helping the populations who need it most,” explains Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM, Chief Executive Officer of SHM.

Grant winners will also be acknowledged during a formal presentation at SHM Converge 2025, SHM’s annual conference, in Las Vegas, Nevada, from April 22-25.

Learn more about the SHM Global & Rural Health Foundation at hospitalmedicine.org/foundation. For inquiries about the foundation, email foundation@shm.org.