July 29, 2018—The digital edition of MEDICC Review’s special issue (The Path to US–Cuba Health & Science Cooperation) was first launched in Havana last April, and in June, the print edition premiered in Washington DC.
Dedicated to universal health for sustainable development, CubaSalud2018 International Public Health Convention was opened in Havana by Cuba’s new President Miguel Díaz-Canel. Among attendees were WHO and PAHO directors—Drs. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Carrisa Etienne, respectively—as well as 27 ministers of health and over 3,000 professionals from Cuba and 94 other countries. Both Drs. Tedros and Etienne, as well as Cuba’s Public Health Minister Dr. Roberto Morales, spoke with MEDICC Review Editor-in-Chief Dr. C. William Keck at MEDICC Review’s booth.
WHO Director Dr. Tedros with MEDICC Review Editor-in-Chief Dr. C. William Keck at CubaSalud2018.
The journal issue was officially presented at a session led by Drs. Jon Kim Andrus and Pastor Castell-Florit Serrate, guest editors, who stressed the importance of US–Cuba health and science cooperation for people in both countries. They were followed by a panel composed mainly of the issue’s authors, who detailed their experiences ranging from collaboration in bioetech, to medical education, joint efforts to fight TB and Zika, and improving health strategies for vulnerable communities.
In Washington DC on June 25, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) hosted the launch of the issue’s print edition at their headquarters. AAAS CEO Rush Holt opened the evening, and speakers followed: Cuba’s Ambassador to the USA, José R. Cabañas, an author panel, the journal’s executive editor Gail Reed and guest editor Dr. Andrus.
Panel at the AAAS launch (l. to r.): Marga Gual Soler, F. Gray Handley, Gail Reed, Helena Chapman, Rachel Evans, Valerie Miller. Photo courtesy AAAS.
Reed noted that “Over the decades, and despite tumultuous relations between the United States and Cuba exacerbated by the embargo, experts in the sciences, public health and medicine from the two countries have managed to form alliances to benefit both our peoples…to transcend political barriers. They indeed have persisted, and today we reap the benefits of their perseverance.”
“Above all,” she continued, “this issue is a tribute to these scientists’ dedication and their recognition that shared problems require a shared search for solutions, broad and respectful debate of hypotheses, and a willingness to put society before self.” She urged those present not only to persist, but also to continue to write.
See also the AAAS article on the event: AAAS-Cuba partnership in health diplomacy celebrated in U.S. release of ‘MEDICC Review’ special edition
