A group group of students from School of Medicine recently participated in a training course medical student program in Havana (Cuba), sponsored by the American Physiological Society through the International Opportunity Program Awards. Alberto Pezonaga, Paula Doménch and Rita Troyas from Navarra and Pedro Montero from Madrid also obtained a financial aid from the MTorres Foundation, which allowed them to pay for the trip and accommodation.

The training course was part of the VIII edition of the Quincke Scholarships, organized by Dr. Alberto Dorta, from the laboratory Central Cerebrospinal Fluid of the School Miguel Enriquez Medical Sciences.Alfonso Calvo, doctor and professor of the School and researcher of the CIMA University of Navarra, also participated in this course as speaker and accompanied the students.

The purpose of this course was to bring medical students closer to the basic research and train them in its methodology, to encourage interaction between Cuban and foreign students, and to bring future professionals closer to the medical internship in conditions in which sometimes the latest technological innovations are not available. To this end, the students participated in a series of lectures given by various professionals from the biosanitary field and some of the students attending, as well as practical sessions at laboratory. "We were able to learn firsthand how medicine is practiced in Cuban hospitals. It was a great opportunity, given the international fame that this country has in medical Education ," says Alberto Pezonaga.

volunteer activities at the center founded by Jesús Mari Lusarreta

In addition, the University's group took advantage of its stay on the island to carry out volunteer activities He also visited the day center for the elderly of the Church of La Milagrosa, founded by Jesús María Lusarreta Induráin, a Pauline priest and missionary from Lumbier (Navarra). "It was a privilege and a pleasure to share with them conversations and intense games of dominoes; their day to day life, to pass them enquiry and to explore them; and to help as needed. We understood why Lusarreta stayed and why he fought for them literally until his last breath. His indelible memory and his work remain: we breathe love, sweat and also tears. He protects them and inspires us," explains Pezonaga.

For Rita Troyas, the experience of volunteer activities made them rediscover that even the forgotten elders of the Cuban people carry joy within their being: "This great virtue quickly infected us, strengthening our bonds of friendship and coexistence, making us feel like grandchildren among happy grandparents. As if we were a family, come on! In a way, one could say that in Cuba everything old manages to keep its life or its value: the old people dance, the restored cars from the 50's are still shining and the houses that are languishing are brought back to life with a touch of color".