This class offers graduate students an opportunity to study international public health issues by providing an intensive study of the public health system in Cuba. The class is offered in collaboration with faculty from the Cuban National School of Public Health. Seminar topics include: health status; the public health infrastructure; primary care and prevention services; maternal and child health; chronic disease; environmental health; program effectiveness; allocation of resources; international health programs; and social, political, and economic factors that influence health and health service delivery. Information on health systems in other Caribbean, Central American, and South American countries will be included in the coursework and presentations to provide context for understanding public health issues in Cuba.
Course Requirements
Students will attend 3 class seminars before the trip. Course readings will be completed before the trip and students will participate in class and on-line discussions based on assigned readings, before and during the trip. During the trip, students will have the opportunity to interact with Cuban professors and students, visit health facilities, and participate in a collaborative project with Cuban students. Students will complete two written assignments and give two presentations. Topics for these assignments will be selected from a list of public health focus areas. A literature review will be completed before the trip. Students will give a presentation on the literature review during the trip. A paper will be due on 6/25/13. Students will summarize their papers in a presentation to be given on the same day.
2013 Program Dates (tentative):
Interviews conducted: February 1 – 28
Students notified of enrollment status: March 1
Student payment and travel documents due: March 15
3 class sessions before trip: March 12, April 2, and April 30, 4-7PM
Trip: May 25-June 7
Class presentations: June 25, 4-7PM