Global Health Experiential Education in Ecuador

When I arrived in Ecuador, I was welcomed with warmth and hospitality. My host family made me feel at home, introducing me to local traditions, delicious food, and the fascinating world of vector control. Mornings began with fresh fruit and eggs, followed by hands-on learning about malaria and dengue prevention, including local remedies like Palo Santo and vitamin B for mosquito deterrence.

Most of my time in Ecuador was in Puyo. Here, life moved at a slower pace with mornings marked by the sound of chickens and steady jungle rain. I worked with the Vector Control team, gaining firsthand knowledge of mosquito species, insecticides, and field techniques. Visiting communities with standing water and high mosquito activity was eye-opening, showing me the direct impact of public health efforts. The generosity of the locals was striking; I was welcomed into homes, offered food, and even had the chance to taste fresh guava straight from the tree.

One of the most fascinating parts of my journey was discovering Ecuador’s rich natural medicine. At an ethnobotanical park, I learned about plants used for everything from wound healing to pain relief. A unique (and unexpected) experience was trying a traditional remedy for back pain: Ortiga. These stinging nettles were surprisingly effective.

At a local hospital, I observed a wide range of medical cases, from parasitic infections to chronic illnesses. My supervising physician was excellent—he took his time, listened deeply, and connected with patients on a level that went beyond medicine. His ability to integrate cultural and spiritual aspects into care left a lasting impression and reinforced my own passion for patient-centered medicine.

Another highlight was spending time in a remote Kichwa community. With no WiFi or modern distractions, life revolved around nature, family, and tradition. The children were eager to learn, and teaching them English became one of the most rewarding parts of my journey. I fully embraced the experience—bathing in the river, fishing with a machete, painting my face with natural dyes, and learning about traditional healing methods. Meals were fresh and simple, made from ingredients grown right in the backyard.

In my final days, I worked at a rural clinic and helped conduct medical visits in an isolated Shuar village. It was a humbling experience, reinforcing the importance of accessible healthcare in underserved areas. This journey wasn’t just about medical training—it was about cultural immersion, learning a new language, personal growth, and human connection. For anyone seeking an authentic and transformative experience, I can’t recommend this opportunity enough!

I had the best experience with CFHI in Quito, Ecuador. I received a scholarship to participate in this as a two week global health elective as a fourth year medical student. Without this scholarship I would not have been able to have this opportunity, so for that I am incredibly grateful.

I was provided information about CFHI and Ecuador prior to departure through modules and an orientation. I was paired with an alumni who I was able to chat with and she gave me the best advice from the student perspective. We ended up having very similar experiences. I visited my doctor a month prior to leaving on my trip so that I could be sure that I was up to date on my vaccines and recommended travel meds, which served me well since I didn't get sick while abroad!

CFHI did a great job communicating with me about my host mom and transportation to and from the airport. I really appreciated that someone was able to pick me up and drop me off at the airport, since taxis in Quito can sometimes take advantage of tourists. On my first day, my host mom walked me on the route to the school, which was also the way to get to the mall, the park and many of the restaurants in Quito. I always felt safe walking around the city, and it was fun living within walking distance of everything I could need! My host mom prepared breakfast and dinner, but I was able to choose my own meals out for lunch. I lived with one other student in my program and we became friends over the two weeks. We each had our own room and shared a bathroom in our home. It was nice to have a partner to do everything with!

I always had a driver who would take us to our hospital rotations. Some days after rotations and lunch, I would also have Spanish lessons for about two hours in the afternoons. My Spanish level was assessed on my first day in Quito so that I could work with an instructor at my level. Since I was only there for two weeks, I feel like I missed out on learning more Spanish at school. Most of my Spanish speaking practice was conversational in the hospitals, at home and around the city.

I enjoyed having hospital rotations at both the private and public hospitals in Quito. The private hospital was very slow since they had lower patient volumes, but the doctors and residents were super friendly and eager to teach and include us in rounds. It felt similar to my clinical rotations in medical school, except we didn't write notes or formally present patients. Most of my energy was spent trying to learn medicine in Spanish! The public hospital was a lot busier with more patients to see; however, didactic teaching time was non existent. I did get to perform physical exams and recheck blood pressures on patients in the family medicine clinic. Overall, as a fourth year medical student I feel like I was performing below my usual level of stimulation which was ok because I wanted to practice speaking more than medicine. In addition to rotations, we learned about Ecuador and the health system in lecture once a week with the doctor in charge of the program.

Ecuador is a beautiful country with incredibly warm and friendly people. I visited Cotopaxi, Banos, the equator line and the TeleferiQo in Quito in my free time. I enjoyed running at the park or going for walks in the neighborhood after school. The food was tasty, the fruits were fresh and the coffee was incredible. I loved learning about the traditional medicine culture and visiting the various markets around town. This experience was unforgettable and worth it! I think the medical rotations themselves are better suited for college or early med school stude

My experience with the global health program in Quito, Ecuador, was wonderful. Exploring maternal health and gender disparities in a foreign country was both challenging and rewarding. The program provided me with the unique opportunity to observe numerous births and C-sections, which significantly deepened my understanding of clinical practices and public health in a different cultural context.

One of the highlights was the chance to explore these critical issues independently while having a small, supportive team to lean on. This balance allowed me to gain valuable insights into the local health landscape while also feeling supported in my journey. My Spanish improved tremendously throughout the program (from knowing zero to knowing basic functioning spanish), which enhanced my ability to connect with patients and local healthcare professionals.

However, there were a few challenges. The weekend solo excursion time was limited, and there was little time for personal exploration during the week. Additionally, while the CFHI team did an excellent job vetting the homestay, my actual living situation was somewhat chaotic, and the unreliable WiFi made it difficult to stay connected.

Despite these challenges, I am incredibly thankful for the experience. For anyone seeking serious clinical experience in a supportive and affordable setting, I highly recommend the CFHI program. It offers an invaluable opportunity for hands-on learning at a better price point than many other study abroad programs.

I’m a fourth-year medical student who participated in the Global Health in Quito, Ecuador program through CFHI. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in learning more about the unique Ecuadorian healthcare system, practicing Spanish with host families, patients, and other healthcare workers, and exploring Quito, surrounding cities, and the Galapagos! I spent three weeks in Quito and 1 week in Otavalo at many different clinical sites including OBGYN clinic and wards, the OR, the pediatric ED, and primary care clinics. I spent many hours practicing speaking with Spanish and building my physical exam skills. I was able to really explore what makes the Ecuadorian healthcare system so unique and get an understanding of how it operates. Throughout my month, I participated in many home visits for patients that couldn’t make it to the clinic, which allowed me to see more of the country and the people of Ecuador. My host family was amazing. They made me feel very welcomed and treated me as a part of their family. We only spoke in Spanish so that I could be fully immersed and continue to improve my Spanish. They made sure I had everything I needed and gave me wonderful advice on fun things to do in the city and surrounding areas on my free afternoons and weekends. My daily Spanish classes were very helpful and focused on getting a solid foundation in medical Spanish to make my time in clinic easier. The afternoon excursions through the school allowed me even more time to learn about Ecuadorian history and culture and practice Spanish in a real-life setting. After my program ended, I went to the Galapagos Islands where I saw thousands of animals and saw firsthand many of the things I had learned as an undergraduate Biology major – including visiting museums focused on the discoveries of Charles Darwin!

I never thought virtual experience can be this enriching until I participated in the internship program by CFHI. They made sure to make this virtual space the most engaging and interacting one. Everything starting from the correspondence, timely response and process of selection is highly appreciable. The program, discussions and content gave me Public and Global Health perspectives from a lens I had never imagined. This experience had definitely added value to my professional and academic journey by allowing me to explore different health care systems in an innovative manner. I had the opportunity to: Virtually engage with different countries and health care systems added value to my existing knowledge and experience, Self paced learning and activities provided the time of self reflection and evaluation and helped me design my own pathway towards work in domain of public and global health issues, and More time to interact with fellows and colleagues from different demographic regions created opportunities for more networking and socializing.

This was a great program. Everything was very organized and structured so that I didn't have to worry about not knowing where I was supposed to be at any given moment. There were many points of contact throughout the whole process. From being picked up at the airport, adequate knowledge about the program from the host family, tour of the city and public transportation on the first day, coordination of hospital sites and physicians, the whole process was very seamless. Quito is a very easy city to navigate with great and cheap public transportation. Uber is also very cheap there. There are also lots of weekend trips that can be done to explore more of Ecuador. The rotations were all interesting and educational, with physicians teaching in between seeing patients. You get to work in a maternity hospital ER, adolescent pregnancy clinic, postpartum floor, outpatient clinics, and labor and delivery. I felt that the spanish classes were excellent especially since there were only 4 students or so in each class. Would definitely recommend this program!

Prior to depature, CFHI coordinators were prompt and sent helpful reminders on how to prepare beforehand. The local coordinator was very receptive to feedback, she checked in part way through to see if we needed to adjust the difficulty of Spanish medical language instruction. The shadowing experience in the clinics and hospital had an appropriate amount of time and the preceptors were kind. There was enough time to explore the community and practice Spanish. Quito had great public transportation and it was safe and easy to get around. I was warned by locals to avoid getting in a cab by myself as a female foreigner but also not to get ripped off with paying a flat fee instead of the ticker. Ecuadorian food is a little bland but affordable. It is great that you can explore the Galapagos Islands afterwards, would highly recommend!

I spent a month is Ecuador in April 2017

I’m a physician with a great deal of clinical and administrative experience and am also a graduate of the Michigan School of Public Health. Because of this, I’m probably not very typical of the majority of folks who are reading this but for a few, my comments may be helpful. I was most interested in population health, delivery systems and vector control. I also hoped to do something that might contribute to the place I was visiting. Finally, I wanted the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with people in Spanish.

The month I spent in Ecuador was more than I could have hoped for. This was in large measure due to the programmatic flexibility of the sponsor and my assigned preceptor.

My first two weeks were spent in Guayaquil. The first week was weighted toward language classes with a couple of mornings visiting a local clinic. The next week was spent with vector control with some afternoon language classes. This was a good balance of time. I would say that the language school was more conversational and less structured than the school I attended in Oaxaca on a different trip.

My time with vector control was terrific. I was able to observe a highly organized and effective program on the ground. Wilfrido (my preceptor) is the vector control officer of a program that is responsible for diminishing the threat posed by mosquito bone illness (dengue, zika and chikungunya) in a huge, economically depressed area of Guayaquil that includes 500,000 people. I went out with the home visiting crew who charmed their way into most homes and provided personal and high quality education. I also spent time with the fumigation team and had the opportunity to see many different barrios, some of which don’t have basic water and electrical services.

Before going, I read a good deal about how tough Guayaquil can be and I had some anxiety. My preceptor who also hosted me not only kept me secure but also made me feel comfortable in that environment. They often provided transportation and gave careful advice on how and where we should go.

The second two weeks were spent in Puyo, a much smaller town on the edge of Amazonia. Because Puyo is at about 3000 ft above sea level, the weather was very comfortable with thundershowers almost every day and just a bit of heat for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Folks told me that there really isn’t a dry season in Puyo. It is about the same all year around. (Guayaquil does have a wet season and a dry season with May being variable.)

During my two weeks in Puyo, I was able to work on a project in which the local medical care community and hospital are trying to implement a major program advancing the care of type 2 diabetes. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Health has recently released a set of guidelines and I happened to arrive during a time of intense planning. My fellow participant and I were able to develop a set of recommendations that we discussed and modified with the help of community members and medical personal. I believe that this work will contribute to the eventual success of the program. This was more than I hoped for and we were supported fully by Child Family Health International.

Additionally, I was able to visit San Virgilio for a couple of days. This was an experience of a lifetime. I stayed in a comfortable bungalow that was in close proximity to members of an extended family. My host, Rodgrigo kept in almost constant contact with me and thought of everything, including providing a walking stick to help with stream crossings and slippery slopes. You are actually driven to the main village and do a bit of walking to get to the family compound (you cross the stream twice). You do need to purchase rubber boots but that is easy to do at the Mercado in Puyo and it costs about $10.00. I was introduced to Kichwa culture and tradition in a genuine way. By the way, the meals I had in San Virgilio were the most interesting I had on my trip. Amazingly enough, there were no mosquitoes! (Because I am older than 58, I chose not to be vaccinated for yellow fever). Rodrigo told me that there are mosquitoes during the “drier” months of July and August.

I feel particularly fortunate to have stayed with my preceptor, his wife and their two children during my two weeks in Guayaquil. They were more than generous hosts. It felt like I was actually part of the family. Guayaquil was warm and humid and it was comfortable to be able to sleep in an air-conditioned room. My hosts for the second two weeks were also very generous and provided a very comfortable home during my two weeks in Puyo.

I had given no thought to weekends before leaving but this turned out to be an important part of the trip. I feel very fortunate that my companion during this month was a young woman who is just graduating from the University of Oregon. She was a courteous, flexible and interesting working/educational partner and traveling companion. We had the opportunity to visit Cuenca and Caja National Park, Latacunga and the crater lake called Quilotoa and of course Banos and the waterfalls (only an hour and one-half away). By the way, at this moment, Ecuador is a great travel bargain.

Thank you and CFHI for helping me have a remarkable experience.

A few additional thoughts:

1. I think a person with at least basic conversational Spanish competence will be able to take best advantage of the opportunities presented in Guayaquil and Puyo. I think a person wishing to be introduced to an “intensive” Spanish instructional experience might be better served at a different site.

2. I think a person interested in population and public health might find this experience exceptional, as I did.

3. This program demonstrated flexibility.

4. I studied almost all the materials provided and I suggest that participants take the time to do this as well. I had realistic expectations going in and this was important.