“For once, if you are poor, female, or from an indigenous population,
you have a distinct advantage.”
~WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, visiting ELAM
Since its first class of 2005, the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) has graduated tens of thousands of physicians from low-income communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas, including the USA. Thousands more are enrolled in the program, thanks to the full scholarships offered by Cuba. These new young doctors make a commitment to work in underserved areas upon graduation.
Young people from over 100 ethnic groups, half of whom are women, study in an environment that recognizes the right of every patient to care, and that centers learning in the community, where health promotion is as important as disease management.
MEDICC supports ELAM, its students and graduates, in three areas: