EAST LANSING, Mich. — Students from Michigan State University's colleges of osteopathic medicine, human medicine and nursing participated recently in a winter break study abroad course in Brazil led by the MSU Institute of International Health.
The annual course, "Health Education Tropical Medicine in Brazil," takes place in Belem in the eastern Amazon region of Brazil. It provides MSU health students the opportunity to learn about diseases and ailments not common in the United States while studying the Brazilian health care system and interacting with physicians, nurses and medical residents in a teaching hospital, community clinics and Amazon villages.
Developed three years ago by Reza Nassiri, the director of institute and an associate dean in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the course also exposes students to Brazilian culture while enabling them to service the communities they visit.
On the final day of the course, the group traveled down the Amazon River in a medical boat to reach the remote, impoverished villages most in need of health care. Equipped with examination rooms, a laboratory and a pharmacy, the boat - Luz Na Amazon - enabled the students to observe how community health care is provided by Brazilian practitioners.
Students also had an opportunity to interact with their Brazilian counterparts to discuss global health issues and to get to know about medical curriculum in Brazil and the United States.
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