Medical Education Cooperation With Cuba

MEDICAL EDUCATION COOPERATION WITH CUBA (MEDICC) PROMOTES COOPERATION AMONG THE US, CUBAN AND GLOBAL HEALTH COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND EQUITY, OFFERING THE CUBAN EXPERIENCE TO INFORM GLOBAL DEBATE, POLICIES, AND PRACTICE.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS FOR HEALTH EQUITY (CPHE): -OAKLAND CPHE: RACIAL JUSTICE. LA CLINICA DE LA RAZA IS CONDUCTING A DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION (DEI) CLIMATE ASSESSMENT TO PREPARE FOR IMPLICIT BIAS TRAINING FOR STAFF IN ALL OF ITS CLINICAL SITES.-MILWAUKEE CPHE: FATHERS MAKING PROGRESS, (FMP), CONDUCTS A VARIETY OF FATHER-SON WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE HEALTHY AND POSITIVE ROLE MODELS FOR FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIPS.-SOUTH BRONX CPHE: BRINGING THE PEACE, A PROGRAM IN FOOD JUSTICE FOR YOUTH AND ADULTS IN CLAREMONT VILLAGE, PROVIDING EDUCATION TO THE COMMUNITY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE FOOD SOURCES.-ALBUQUERQUE CPHE: COMMUNITY HEALTH SPECIALISTS. PROGRESS IS BEING MADE TO DEVELOP A TRAINING PROGRAM TO INTEGRATE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS INTO THE HEALTH SECTOR.-NAVAJO NATION CPHE: (1) A SHORT FILM PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY A NAVAJO NATION CPHE MEMBER ON NAVAJO STRENGTH DURING THE PANDEMIC. (2) A CLIMATE JUSTICE PROJECT EMPOWERING YOUTH TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF WATER SOURCES, SHARE FINDINGS BROADLY WITH THE COMMUNITY, AND ADDRESS QUALITY ISSUES.

MD PIPELINE TO COMMUNITY SERVICE: -MNISI SCHOLARSHIP: ON FEBRUARY 10, 2022, 33 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS WERE MADE TO CURRENT STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES. THIS NUMBER OF AWARDS IS ON PAR WITH 2021, BUT REPRESENTS 25% FEWER THAN MADE IN 2020 (PRE-PANDEMIC.) EXAM AND PREP COSTS CONTINUE TO RISE AND PRESENT A SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLE TO PREPARING FOR RESIDENCY AND PRACTICE IN THE US. USMLE STEP EXAMS ARE CURRENTLY AT $985 EACH, WITH DIFFERENT EXAM PREP TOOLS AT $250-$400 AND UP FOR ONE TO THREE MONTH'S ACCESS. PRICE INCREASES ARE ANTICIPATED FOR 2023 AS WELL.-COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS SUMMER ROTATIONS: THE MD PIPELINE PROGRAM FUNDED SIX OBSERVERSHIPS AND CLERKSHIPS IN SUMMER 2022 - SIX WERE FUNDED IN SUMMER 2021 AS WELL. SEVERAL RECENT GRADUATES REQUESTED HELP WITH MALPRACTICE INSURANCE COSTS FOR POST-GRADUATE EXTERNSHIPS, BUT ENDED UP NOT NEEDING THE FUNDS. FUNDING ALLOWING, THE PROGRAM WILL CONSIDER THESE REQUESTS IN FUTURE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY BEEN FUNDED THROUGH COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS. WORK WILL CONTINUE ON THIS PROGRAM IN MARCH 2023, FUNDING PERMITTING.-PATHWAYS TO RESIDENCY: TEN ELAM GRADUATES MATCHED TO RESIDENCIES IN MARCH 2022, A GREAT IMPROVEMENT OVER 2021, WHEN ONLY TWO MATCHED, DUE IN PART TO NIGHTMARISH BUREAUCRATIC HURDLES THROWN UP BY ECFMG. THREE RECENT GRADUATES RECEIVED $500 EACH IN SUMMER 2022 TOWARD TRAVEL EXPENSES FOR ATTENDING THE AAFP NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN PERSON.

MEDICC REVIEW: -PUBLICATION OF JOURNAL FOUR TIMES A YEAR (7 TO 10 PEER-REVIEWED MANUSCRIPTS, PLUS FEATURES, INTERVIEWS, VIEWPOINT, AND EDITORIAL SECTIONS). PUBLISHED ONLINE IN ENGLISH.-MANUSCRIPT EDITORIAL REVIEW, TRANSLATION, EDITING, REVISION, AND COPY EDITING TAKES APPROXIMATELY 9 MONTHS PER MANUSCRIPT. WE FAST-TRACK FOR COVID-19 MANUSCRIPTS.-CONTINUAL WORKFLOW MONITORING OF ALL MANUSCRIPTS, DONE MANUALLY DUE TO BANDWIDTH LIMITATIONS IN CUBA THAT DO NOT ALLOW FOR EFFICIENT ONLINE CONTENT MANAGEMENT.-CONSTANT UPGRADING OF WEBSITE, INCLUDING ADDING VIDEO, ADVERTISING, ETC.; NEW DESIGN IN PROCESS.-INDEXING IN MAJOR SERVICES (DONE BY STAFF), SUCH AS PUBMED, SCIELO, CLARIVATE ANALYTICS, EBSCO, ELSEVIER, RDALYC, LATININDEX, DOAJ, ROAD.-QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER TO EDITORIAL BOARD AND REVIEWING EDITORIAL BOARD COMPOSITION.-DISSEMINATION THROUGH LISTERVS AND OTHER ONLINE VENUES; TWITTER, FB AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA.-ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC WRITING COURSE THROUGH 2019.-WEBINAR SERIES WITH MAJOR US UNIVERSITIES AND HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS (FORD GRANT).-EDITORIAL ACCOMPANIMENT FOR CUBAN SCHOLARS' MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED TO HIGH-IMPACT JOURNALS.

GATEWAYS TRAVEL PROGRAM: AFTER A TWO YEAR PAUSE DUE TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THE MEDICC GATEWAYS PROGRAM RESUMED GROUP EXCHANGES IN 2022. THIS HAS BEEN AIDED BY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S LIFTING OF SOME OF TRUMP'S ADDITIONAL TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS TO CUBA. HOWEVER, WE STILL FACE CHALLENGES WITH HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS LIMITED TO JUST FIVE IN THE HAVANA AREA THAT AMERICANS CAN LEGALLY STAY AT. LOOKING FORWARD THOUGH, THE LINEUP OF EXCHANGES FOR 2023 IS VERY PROMISING WITH THREE GROUPS ALREADY SCHEDULED FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR.ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE OF THE PROGRAM, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO STREAMLINE OUR PROCESSES SO THAT THESE ARE SIMPLE, CONSISTENT AND MORE EFFICIENT. THIS HELPS LESSEN THE WORKLOAD ON THE STAFF AS WELL AS MAXIMIZES OUR FINANCIAL RETURNS.