Cuba and US debate on global health and biomedical research

Scientists from Cuba and the United States met in this capital to debate on the preparation for pandemic situations and breakthroughs in health and biomedical technologies, the Cuban Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday.

At the 2nd Joint Scientific Meeting between the two countries to “Address Global Health Challenges, through Scientific Innovation and Biomedical Research,” Cuban and US experts shared experiences related to research on arbovirus diseases, cancer and neurological disorders, data science, and chronic conditions and risk factors throughout life.

According to a statement from the Cuban Ministry, the meeting took place from February 14 to 16 and served as a forum to acknowledge the work and contribution to Science by Doctors Christopher Manuel Gómez and Stephen Whitehead, prominent US scientists and researchers who were granted the category of Corresponding Academic of the Cuban Academy of Sciences.

The event was organized by the “Pedro Kourí” Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in Havana, authorities from Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the United States.

Cuba was represented by officials from the BioCubaFarma business group, the Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The US delegation was headed by NIAID Acting Director Hugh Auchincloss, and representatives from 23 health institutions in that country, including experts and officials from the National Institutes of Health.