Students from the United States Explore the Chilean Public Health System and Its Relationship with Society
Through a special program at UC Chile, students from Tufts University participated throughout June in a course exploring the relationship between public health and the customs of a society, gaining hands-on experience and attending classes with renowned academics and researchers from the University.
photo_camera The course concluded on June 26th. (Photo credit: Pía Billa, Office of the Vice President for International Affairs)
Throughout June, Chile became the classroom for eight Tufts University students who traveled from the other end of the continent to take part in the “Intercultural Approaches for Public Health” program, an initiative from UC Chile that invites participants from around the world to explore the relationship between health and culture within a Latin American context.
The program offers both summer and winter sessions. In this latest version, the students examined medicine in depth from an intercultural and holistic perspective, exploring health systems and their relationship with the Mapuche and Aymara peoples, as well as their conceptions of well-being and care practices.
“This course on public health provides all the tools needed for understanding the relationship between health, culture, people, and diversity,” mentioned Elianny Gonzalez, a student in the program.
The academic program, which combines theory, practice, and linguistic and cultural immersion, enables students to anticipate future challenges based on Chile’s experience, and to develop new perspectives for addressing issues in their own contexts through comparative learning and work with different communities. The course concludes with the presentation of a case study and an analysis of how to address its various needs in Chile and in other cultural contexts.
Academics and experts from the School of Nursing, School of Anthropology, School of Social Work, the UC Chile Spanish program from the Faculty of Literature, the Office of Sustainability, and the UC Chile Intercultural Program all participated in the program.
Likewise, the cohort highlighted the program as an opportunity to experience internationalization from an academic and professional perspective, gaining firsthand insight and understanding of the country’s social, cultural, and health realities.
“I wanted to get to know Chile from a perspective different from that of a tourist, and that’s exactly what I found,” mentions Rianna Bissessar, student of the program.
This experience goes beyond the traditional classrooms and transforms Santiago and other destinations in Chile into real outdoor classrooms. Through visits to museums, health centers, public institutions, and places of cultural interest, the students were able to interact with the local communities, improve their Spanish, and enjoy an immersive experience that left a lasting impression on their education.
“The program’s field trips are excellent. For example, I’m taking home what I learned at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, a truly striking place that helps you understand part of the history and resilience of Chile,” mentions Camila Quintana, student of the program.
Among the places they visited, the following stand out: the UC Chile Clinical Hospital, the UC Chile Medical Center, the Mapuche Ruka at the Nueva Extremadura Family Health Center in the sector of La Pintana, the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, and the La Moneda Palace.
UC Chile and Tufts University explore new opportunities for their students
In parallel with the course, a delegation from Tufts University, headed by Professor and Dean of Academic Affairs Nimah Mazaheri, along with Associate Dean and Senior Director of Study Abroad and Global Education Mala Ghosh, and the Resident Director in Chile, Loreto Pomar, visited UC Chile and held a meeting with Vice President for International Affairs María Montt Strabucci and part of her team.
During the meeting, they explored new approaches to continue promoting collaboration in academic exchange and cooperation affairs. On behalf of UC Chile, they addressed initiatives from the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan aimed at strengthening the university’s the relationship with the world, highlighting collaborative initiatives such as Avanza UC.
This is not the first time that students from Tufts University have participated in UC Chile programs. Last year, a pilot program was conducted with an entire cohort from Tufts in the special program, which was well received and resulted in this second version.
