EAST LANSING, Mich. - Continuing the partnership between the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Yucatan Department of Health, 22 undergraduate students recently returned from a study abroad spring break trip to Merida, in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
The group was led by Reza Nassiri, the college's associate dean of Global Health Programs.
"MSU students had an exceptional opportunity during this study abroad course not only to develop cultural awareness in connection with Mayan and Mexican cultures but also to learn a great deal about healthcare systems in the Yucatan," said Nassiri, also director of MSU's Institute of International Health.
"In particular our students were able to observe the public health and environmental issues of the area, HIV/AIDS, communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as the social determinants of Yucatan health."
This particular study abroad course is scheduled to run each year during MSU's spring break.
The partnership also enables college-affiliated osteopathic physicians to apply for clinical practice in the state of Yucatan. As an indication of the importance of this growing relationship, college leaders are in the process of donating 12 hemodialysis units to Hospital O'Horan, a reference care medical center for the state of Yucatan, and the future site of MSU's first international osteopathic medical clinic.
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