Public Health in Colombia

I enjoyed my time in Colombia through Red Tree Study! Our mornings consisted of information packed lectures. We learned a lot about health law and policy (Colombians definitely put an emphasis on the legal side of healthcare), the health financial system, and the ways that Colombia's history and geography has affected the health of the population. Our afternoons involved visiting various health-related institutions. In the evenings after our classes and on weekends, we got to explore more of Bogota and enjoy the beautiful country! RTS does a great job of planning weekend excursions and social outings!

I enjoyed my time participating in Public Health in Colombia. The course was incredibly informative and approached content through an interdisciplinary lens. I was attracted to the course due to its course content and its site visits, where I hoped to speak to Colombians directly involved in the public health system, and understand the unique challenges the country was facing. Although many site visits were enlightening, many were repetitive and strayed from providing authentic dialogue and original content. It is also important to note that a translator was present for nearly all site visits for students who required translation.
Red Tree Study provided a great support network for students, and organized numerous events and activities to allow students to explore Bogotá.

This program has provided me with such a brilliant start to my summer, complete with a vastly interesting academic side and also with such exciting social activities - we saw waterfalls and amazing skylines. I was able to learn about the different obstacles facing the healthcare system in a Colombian specific context and also consider how these issues varied across the country. We had the chance to learn about historical knowledge, epidemiology and also mental health. The staff and organizers are all exceptionally welcoming and provided for a really warm and enjoyable atmosphere during our time in the bustling ad beautiful city of Bogota. The cultural aspect was quite intense in that we were able to really immersive in the local area but also befriend people from all types of backgrounds throughout the trip.

Overall, my experience in the Public Health in Colombia program was great. As a Venezuelan-United Statian, I was particularly interested in experiencing my "hermano pais" of Colombia in-person. I learned a lot in the classroom and loved being able to visit locations and professionals in Bogota designated to conduct public health work for the city and nation. Red Tree Study organized wonderful afternoon activities and weekend cultural excursions, which I enjoyed very much because it allowed me to engage with the surrounding Colombian communities outside of the classroom context.

I had an excellent time studying in Bogotá with Red Tree Study. I'm Colombian myself, so I was familiar with the culture before arriving in the country, but I still had such a unique experience being able to really immerse myself in the Colombian way of life. The classes taught me a lot, providing a very broad and useful foundation for my future studies in public health. I really enjoyed the way the course was set up, because I had a good amount of free time to explore the area we stayed in (La Candelaria) in addition to the social/cultural excursions we went on. Future participants should know that it's okay to not be experienced in public health before taking part in the course! As an undergraduate student, I'm just now discovering where my passions lie in the field and the program really helped with identifying that. Overall, studying in Colombia has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience that's led to some great times with some truly amazing people!

I have travelled all over but this was the first time in Colombia. I am from Republic of Georgia in Eastern Europe and this was the closest I ever felt at home. Not only was the academic content really refreshing but so was extra activities we participated in. It was definitely a new experience that I am really glad I experienced. I would recommend that future students not only participate in already planned activities but also in recommended planned extracurricular activities.

After this program, I definitely know more about Colombia’s healthcare system than either of the two countries where I have lived (US and UK). The fact that health in Colombia is a constitutional right is very interesting to me. There are certainly challenges in guaranteeing this right, especially in isolated, rural communities.
One of my favorite aspects of this course was meeting other public health students from the US and UK. I was unsure whether mixing undergraduates and postgraduates together would work, but I think having different perspectives and range of experiences added to the course content and made it more interdisciplinary. Living and learning alongside one another for four weeks allowed us to really bond – I feel like I have known my roommates for years and we are planning to keep in touch!