In a world where access to healthcare remains deeply unequal, a group of young people from the United States has just completed one of the most transformative journeys of their lives: six years of medical training at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Cuba—an institution built on the values of life, solidarity, and social justice.
ELAM was founded in 1999 in response to the devastation left by two powerful hurricanes that struck Central America and the Caribbean. Out of that humanitarian crisis emerged a long-term vision: to train young people from underserved communities across Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa—and even the United States—to return as doctors committed to serving those who need it most.
That vision now comes alive in these new American graduates, who studied and lived alongside peers from more than 20 countries. Together, they shared classrooms and cultures, music and meals, hardships and hope. Diversity didn’t divide them—it connected them. At ELAM, difference is embraced, and solidarity is taught not as a slogan, but as a way of life.
Their training went far beyond rigorous academic preparation. ELAM shaped not just doctors, but people with deep moral purpose. These students leave not only with medical knowledge, but with a powerful sense of responsibility—to protect life, to stand with the vulnerable, and to treat health as a human right, not a privilege. These new doctors are heading back home with something rare: a vision of medicine rooted in compassion, equity, and social commitment.
To them, we extend our heartfelt congratulations. To their families, our admiration for supporting such a brave and selfless path. And to Cuba, our gratitude for making this dream possible—despite the many challenges the country faces.
Congratulations, doctors. The future needs you—and you are ready to heal it.