July 24, 2019—Celebrating 20 years of training physicians for the world, Cuba’s Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), graduated 466 doctors from 84 countries in ceremonies around the island nation this week, bringing the total of medical graduates trained at the unique school to over 29,000 – including 182 doctors from the United States.

In remarks to the assembled crowd in Havana, including graduates and their families; medical school rectors, professors and health care providers; diplomats; and ELAM alumni, Cuba’s Minister of Public Health Dr José Ángel Portal Miranda lauded ELAM’s mission to “train highly qualified, scientific and professional doctors –fundamental for providing universal care in a context  where half the world’s population lacks access to essential health services.”

Over 80 countries were represented in the ELAM graduating class of 2019. Photo Credit: Eduardo Añé

Among those receiving their degrees were ten doctors from the United States who committed to serving in under-resourced communities—theirs or similar—in exchange for a full scholarship to study at the school. After more than six years of rigorous training on the island, Dr Akibulah Rease from Chicago will return to the Midwest where he intends to pursue a surgical specialty, while Dr Jazmin C. Marlin is heading back to her native North Carolina to prepare for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), the multiple-part exams all medical graduates must pass to practice in the United States.  “The hardest part for me was the cultural adjustment studying in Cuba requires, but here I am, I did it,” Dr Marlin stated just before receiving her diploma. She admitted that she’s nervous about taking the USMLE, but also confident in her training.

ELAM’s bold, unprecedented strategy to train exceptional students from under-resourced communities, tuition-free, is paying off. Dr Patrick Dely, who received his degree with ELAM’s first graduating class in 2005, called the social commitment and goal of providing health care to those in need  “the most noble of causes. ELAM doctors know that a better world is within reach; we know and assure you it’s possible.” Dely is not just talking the talk: after graduation, he returned to his native Haiti to help reinforce his nation’s public health system, going on to serve alongside hundreds of Cuban and ELAM colleagues as part of the Henry Reeve International Medical Contingent when the devastating earthquake hit in 2010. Today, Dr Dely is Director of Hygiene and Epidemiology at Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and President of the ELAM chapter of the International Medical Society.

Supporting these new doctors who “return to their communities armed with the most advanced ideas and training in patient health, as well as the ethical responsibility to serve these communities, is an historical expression of our dreams, hopes and aspirations,” actor and activist Danny Glover said during the graduation. In order to further the aspirations of these new doctors, MEDICC established its MD Pipeline to Community Service Program in 2007 as a response to the growing need for practical support and guidance for the US ELAM delegation, as they face the challenges of transitioning back to working in the US. The program includes financial aid for preparing for and taking the USMLE; placement in summer rotations in hospitals and clinics around the United States; and residency match guidance and support through MEDICC’s nationwide network of physician mentors.

Diplomas in hand, these new doctors head off to serve in under-resourced communities. Photo Credit: Eduardo Añé

Since 2007, MEDICC has granted over $300,000 in financial aid to 186 US ELAM graduates to defray costs for preparing for and taking the USMLE’s; since its inception, this program, the only one of its kind, has successfully helped 88% of recipients pass their exams. Data from other components of the MD Pipeline Program are showing similar results, with over 200 summer clinical rotations placements (a pre-requisite for post-graduate training and practice in the USA) and has helped 167 US ELAM graduates with their residency match process; today, 92 of these doctors are currently in residencies or practice in the United States. Importantly, over 90% of US ELAM graduates work in primary care, 75% are serving in federally-designated Health Professional Shortage and/or Medically  Underserved Areas, and nearly 100% are serving in the public sector with underserved communities.

MEDICC congratulates all the graduates of the ELAM class of 2018-2019 and we look forward to your continued success during your lifetime of service providing the fundamental right of universal care for all.