Two medical students traveled to South America last summer, through the Office of Global Health Education, gaining firsthand experience with clinical care and public health in Peru and Bolivia. Their time in Cusco and Sucre deepened their understanding of local health systems, strengthened their Spanish skills, and offered meaningful exposure to culturally grounded approaches to patient care.
Cusco, Peru
Minh Giang participated in a Global Health Program in Cusco, Peru, and studied Medical Spanish with a curriculum focused on Peruvian and indigenous cultures and diets, and Peruvian healthcare and health insurance systems.“This program not only teaches you about grammar and vocabulary, but also how the health system works.”Minh shadowed physicians, interacted with patients, spent time in the ER and observed minor surgeries. “In Peru, there is no EMT position. Doctors go to a patient’s house on the ambulance. I got to ride along, and this was a new experience.”
Sucre, Bolivia
Zara Mehta and Madison Snyder joined CIES Sexual and Reproductive Health. The Bolivian non-profit organization is dedicated to sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) and rights, providing comprehensive clinical services, education, research, and advocacy, for vulnerable populations with a rights-based approach, especially youth and women, through clinics, mobile units, and youth networks.
In their observational experience, the two spent 4 weeks shadowing in a clinical setting and working with a public health initiative while taking afternoon Spanish classes. CIES fill gaps in Bolivia’s public health system, working with the government and partners to offer contraception, STI testing, gender-based violence screening, and sexuality education to improve quality of life.