Cuban trained doctors – confronting COVID-19 in Cuba, abroad and even in the US
Hear their stories – find out how to become one!
Tues, Sept 8th – 8pm Eastern
Cuba, with a population of over 11.3 million has suffered only 94 deaths from COVID-19 – about 8 per million. Dr. Agyeiwa Weathers will speak about how Cuba has successfully responded to the COVID-19 crisis. She is a first-generation African American, born to parents from Ghana West African, and the Caribbean island of Jamaica and raised in New Jersey. She graduated this year from ELAM, becoming the first doctor in her family.
The US has a population of 331 million and 178,500 people have died from COVID-19 – 540 per million. Dr. Emily Brown will speak about the US failed response to the virus and how Cuban-trained doctors have acted here. Dr Emily Brown is a 2017 ELAM graduate. Sheis currently in her final year of residency at UMass Family Medicine – Fitchburg, where she serves an underserved population as a primary care physician in training.
Cuban doctors and nurses have been on the frontline against the virus in numerous countries around the world. Dr. Abraham Vela will discuss Cuba’s international missions to fight COVID-19 – and the Saving Lives Campaign to bring Cuban medical collaboration to the US. Dr. Abraham Vela is a 2016 ELAM graduate. He grew up between Guatemala and the US He is currently in his third year of a family medicine residency in Pomona Valley Hospital in Southern California.
The webinar will be moderated by Dr. Melissa Barber and Dr. Samira Addrey.
They will discuss ELAM, and how young people from economically deprived neighborhoods and communities of color can apply for a full scholarship from the Cuban government to train there. Excerpts will be shown from Dare to Dream, the movie about the school.
Dr. Samira Mifatou Addrey graduated summa cum laude from the Latin American School of Medicine, class of 2020. She is from Gaithersburg Maryland by way of Accra, Ghana. We’re proud to welcome her in IFCO’s new Coordinator for the IFCO/ELAM Scholarship Program.
Dr. Melissa Barber is a 2007 ELAM graduate. She is author of the recently published book “Thirty Days of Thanks: A Journey Toward Healing and Deliverance” and is a co-researcher of the COVID-19 Community Pesquisa Project. She has served as the IFCO/ELAM Scholarship Program coordinator for the past 10 years.
(After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information for joining the webinar.)
Background Notes
Since 2000 the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Havana, Cuba has provided medical training for 29,000 doctors from 104 countries around the world. Many of them were provided full scholarships from the Cuban government including 196 graduates from medically underserved communities in the US.
Since 1960 Cuba has sent 500,000 of its own health personnel around the world to provide long term and emergency healthcare in 164 countries – going to places where doctors were either non-existent or in short supply.
On August 29th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans. Cuba offered to send an emergency medical brigade of 1500 health professionals to the city. The government of George W Bush ignored the offer. The brigade went to the mountains of Pakistan instead in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. They were named the Henry Reeve Brigade in honor of a young US citizen who fought and died alongside Cubans in their revolutionary struggle for independence from Spain in the 19th century.
During the COVID-19 crisis, Cuba has sent 38 emergency medical brigades to 31 countries in the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and even Italy and Andorra in Europe. Cuba is willing to send its own doctors and specialists to the US but again none have been requested.
