MEDICC Gateways Travel To Cuba
Join us for an unforgettable journey through Cuba’s healthcare landscape and vibrant culture.
The MEDICC experience has involved over 3,000 health professionals, policymakers, foundation trustees and community leaders in travel to Cuba, including students and faculty from over 100 US universities.
With an established team in Havana, we offer unique opportunities.
To request more information about MEDICC group travel:
Write Gateways Program Coordinator Gisele Coutin Marie at gcoutinmarie@mediccglobal.org
Sample Itinerary Highlights
Each trip itinerary is different, tailored to the interests of the organization or institution sponsoring travel with MEDICC. Here are HIGHLIGHTS from one itinerary focused on Health, Equity and Community in Cuba
Community-Engaged Primary Health Care in Cuba
Visit a community multispecialty clinic and family doctor-and-nurse offices, pillars of Cuban public health. Learn from primary care providers about their daily routine and responsibilities in training professionals, health education, patient care, research, and during public health emergencies. Hear from local residents who they serve.
Maternal-Child Care in Rural Settings
See health care in the countryside, including prenatal services, access to specialized care, logistical hurdles for birthing and postpartum care, and local initiatives to improve services and enhance community participation in attention to mothers and newborns.
Challenges for the Health System and Health Investments in Cuba
Learn about the design of Cuba’s universal public health system and about the current economic crisis and how it is affecting health care services and indicators in Cuba.
Healthy Aging
Mingle with seniors at a day facility providing a home away from home for older adults, Cuba’s is one of the fastest aging societies in the Americas.
Striving for Greater Equity in Cuba
Exchange with civil society leaders to learn about Cuba’s New Family Law and local initiatives to enhance equity. In conversation with local anthropologists, sociologists, activists, and civil society leaders, discuss the intersections between gender and race in historical and contemporary Cuba.
Cuban Medical Education for the World
Meet with faculty at the Latin American School of Medicine and with scholarship students there from the world over, including the USA.
Biotechnology and Public Health in Cuba
See how novel Cuban biotech applications, such as Heberprot-P, are being applied in primary health care. This medication for diabetic foot ulcers has reduced amputation risk by 75%.
History, Culture, Community and Health Services
Visit a local development project to learn more about Cuban history, traditions, and cultural expressions at the community level and how they intersect with public health education. And enjoy the music that has made Cuba a worldwide sensation…from the mambo and son to salsa!
2024-2025 MEDICC Gateways Travel also includes itineraries with such themes as:
- Climate Change Resilience and Planetary Health: Learning from the Cuban Experience
- Cuba: Perspectives on Healthy Aging
- Culture, Art, and Health in Cuba
- Health Care and Medical Education in Cuba
- Women’s and Reproductive Health
- Communities, Culture and Health
- Value-Based Health Care: The Cuban Experience
- Nursing Perspectives and Practice
- Health Science Editors: Sharing Science for Healthy People & a Healthy Planet
MEDICC group travel delivers results:
- OUTCOME 1: Memorandum of understanding between the University of Minnesota and Cuba’s National School of Public Health
- OUTCOME 2: Memorandum of Understanding between MEDICC and the Cuban Academy of Sciences, extending MEDICC’s reach and relationships
- OUTCOME 3: Publication of Cuba’s COVID-19 Vaccine Enterprise: Report from a High-Level Fact-Finding Delegation to Cuba organized by MEDICC Review editors
- OUTCOME 4: Joint publications by US and Cuban scientists in peer-reviewed journals
- OUTCOME 5: US experts share their knowledge and research on planetary health with Cuban colleagues through presentations in Havana to key scientists and activists
- OUTCOME 6: Cubans participate in the Caribbean Hub of the Planetary Health Alliance
- OUTCOME 7: Cuban scientists are invited to US universities and professional meetings in 2024 and 2025, including the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association
- OUTCOME 8: MEDICC joins the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Cuba’s Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK) in sponsoring NIAID-IPK conversations in Havana in 2024: Addressing Global Health Challenges Through Scientific Innovation and Biomedical Research. This was the first high-level meeting involving the National Institutes of Health and the Cuban Public Health Ministry since the Obama administration.
- OUTCOME 9: MEDICC organizes a visit to Cuba by former Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt and a cohort of investors and health system leaders in value-based medicine
- OUTCOME 10: An expanded Gateways program, reaching ten trips per year…and several returning annually, such as nursing faculty and planetary health leaders
FAQs
Is my travel to Cuba through MEDICC’s Gateways program legal under US law?
Yes. MEDICC abides by all U.S. regulations for travel to Cuba.
How much do Gateways trips cost?
$3,800 – $4,100 per person single occupancy; $3,300 – $3,600 per person double occupancy
These are estimates for a six-night seven-day itinerary. The final price of each trip depends on choice of accommodations, activities planned, whether the group travels outside Havana. Some housing options for students and faculty advisers can cost significantly less.
What is included in Gateways travel costs?
- A specially crafted itinerary based on your interests
- Recommended pre-trip readings and an annotated itinerary, with descriptions of the people and places you’ll see in Cuba
- Airport transfers in Havana
- Cuban academic visa (required to enter public health and educational institutions)
- Full accommodations and all meals, including a farewell dinner with invited Cuban guests
- All local logistics and coordination in Cuba
- Air-conditioned local ground transportation to all programmed activities
- Trip orientations (one virtual prior to travel, a second in Havana)
- An academic fee for support provided by faculty from the National School of Public Health
- Accompaniment by an experienced medical interpreter, a faculty member from the National School of Public Health, a MEDICC team member, and bilingual guide
- Entrance to all facilities included in programmed activities
What is NOT included in Gateways travel costs
-
Airfare to/from Havana and tourist card
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Airline baggage fees
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Outings and extras outside trip itinerary
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Personal expenses
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Gratuities to the interpreter, tour guide, driver and housekeeping staff
What documents do I need to travel on a Gateways program?
A passport valid for at least six months after your travel dates. MEDICC takes care of your academic visa.
Who can travel with MEDICC Gateways?
MEDICC offers tailored programs for group travel. Past groups have included professionals from universities, healthcare systems, research centers and foundations, as well as policymakers, community leaders, health equity organizations and entrepreneurs in medicine.
Some groups may accommodate family members and/or friends who must register separately and participate in the full program.
NOTE: MEDICC does not organize travel for individuals.
What size are Gateways groups?
Usually between 14 and 18 participants. Gateways keeps groups intentionally small so you will have time to engage with the health professionals, patients, local community residents, artists and other Cubans you meet during your stay.
Find Out More About Group Travel
To explore travel options for your organization or institution, write to:
Gisele Coutin Marie, Gateways Travel Program Coordinator, at gcoutinmarie@mediccglobal.org
NOTE: MEDICC does not organize travel for individuals, and we will need five to six months prior
to your group’s travel dates to work with you on itinerary and other details.