Alameda woman becomes doctor with help from Cuba

[Mika]

Source: Mercury News

There is one thing Kenya Bingham lacks that most newly minted doctors have -- more than their share of: debt.

Instead of attending a U.S. program where the average graduate leaves $115,000 in debt, the Alameda native went to medical school in Havana, becoming one of the first U.S. citizens to graduate from the free program sponsored by the Cuban government.

The program is called the Latin American School of Medicine, an internationally certified medical school that started in 1999 to help Latin American countries devastated by hurricanes Mitch and Georges.

Along with eight fellow U.S. citizens (three from California, four from New York and one from Minnesota), Bingham studied medicine with a full scholarship.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/alamedacounty/ci_7157646

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Bravo to Cuba for this program that has trained thousands of doctors - preparing them for service to poor communities. They are able to do so because they are without tuition debt






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