Dr. Angela N. Castañeda, Mandy Brookins and twelve DePauw students visited Cuba during May Term 2019. The course titled Public Health, Community and Culture in Cuba focuses on the health care system in Cuba and the influence of local culture on its current challenges and success stories. Students became integrated in the local community and had the opportunity to experience health care delivery and culture in both Havana and rural areas. Field site visits complemented class lectures. Visits included: the Latin American Medical School (ELAM), a community polyclinic and neighborhood family doctor-nurse office, a biotech pharmaceutical company, a maternal-child health program, and an elderly day center. The group also traveled outside of Havana to Viñales and rural areas to compare the health care in these communities with the nation’s capital.

The final project asked the question What is solidarity? Students worked in small groups to document what solidarity means (for Cubans and for themselves) using digital 360 cameras. Upon their return to the US, they uploaded their resulting media to Google Poly.