Doctoral Disssertation Research: Motivations for Medical Migration in the United States/Mexico Borderlands

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Doctoral student, Matthew Dalstrom (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), advised by Dr. Paul Brodwin, will conduct research on the cultural and social motivations for medical migration, briefly defined as the movement of people across borders for health care. The project will be conducted in two cities along the United States-Mexico border. Previous studies have illustrated that Americans actively pursue health care opportunities in Mexico, but there is little known about the institutional structures and cultural beliefs that enable or encourage people to do so. This study examines three questions: 1) Do Americans cross the border for health care predominately because of lack of insurance and high medical cost, or are social and cultural factors also important? 2) What factors determine the way American medical migrants choose providers in Mexico? 3) How do American medical providers balance nationalism and patient safety with their assessment of medical migration? Research will be conducted through the use of surveys, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with the primary participants: patients, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and medical migration brokers.This project is important because it examines how culture, as well as poverty, health care inequalities, and state policies influence individual health care options and decisions. Furthermore, it will contribute to the discussion of border health policy and the different ways that individuals understand and utilize health care along the border. The research also will contribute to the education of a social scientist.