The idea of becoming a physician never crossed his mind. But when Jose Eduardo De Leon learned of a free medical degree program in Havana, he jumped at the opportunity to apply.
De Leon is one of eight American students to graduate recently from the Latin American School of Medical Sciences (LASMS) in a history-making ceremony. For the last six years, De Leon and hundreds of other students of color have received free tuition, room and board and textbooks as they undertook an intensive curriculum in their pursuit of medical studies in Cuba.
The summer ceremony was surreal for De Leon, 27, who recounts why he decided to attend medical school overseas.
“I decided that it was something positive worth taking part in, seeing as this program’s main goal is to increase health care to underserved communities around the world,” says the Oakland, Calif., native. “I think this program was a life-changing experience for many reasons, and it’s one of the best – if not the best – decisions that I’ve made in my life.”
The six-year medical degree program, which is administered through the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), is divided into 12 semesters and begins every September. Students study at LASMS for two years and then continue their medical studies at one of Cuba’s regional medical schools, officials say. All classes are taught in Spanish.
Although fifth-year LASMS medical student Narciso Ortiz was fluent in Spanish before arriving in Cuba, he struggled to keep up at first.
“Like many of the students, I was taught here in the United States in English,” Ortiz, 32, says. “One of the most challenging things is mastering the language and the level of control that they want in the sciences, in particular.”
