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At the time of this writing, more than 10 million Cubans (nearly 90% of the country's population), had received at least their first dose of Soberana 02 or Abdala, two of five vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2 developed and produced on the island. Late-phase clinical trial data revealed that Abdala is 92.28% effective after the full, three-dose cycle and Soberana 02 is 91.2% effective after two doses, when followed by a booster of Soberana Plus.[1] Cuban health authorities have committed to vaccinating the entire population, including children aged 3-18 years old, using these vaccines by the end of 2021. The first pre-clinical, peer-reviewed data are available,[2] with clinical trial results already submitted to various international journals. Building on decades of biotechnology know-how developing, producing and administering 11 preventive vaccines for childhood diseases-used in the nation's universal health system and also marketed elsewhere-Cuba is the first, and to date only, country in Latin America and the Caribbean to develop its own vaccine candidates for COVID-19 (Soberana 01; Soberana 02; Soberana Plus; Abdala and Mambisa; see Box on following page). In a strategy designed to ensure comprehensive and importantly, independent solutions to the global health crisis, research institutes and manufacturing facilities coordinated by BioCubaFarma-the country's biopharmaceutical conglomerate-have also developed COVID-19 treatments and essential medical equipment. To gain a better understanding of the regulatory process involved, MEDICC Review turned to Olga Lidia Jacobo-Casanueva, Director of the Center for State Control of Medicines and Medical Devices (CECMED), Cuba's national regulatory authority (NRA). A clinical microbiologist, Jacobo-Casanueva served as interim director throughout 2020 before becoming director in January 2021. She has spent nearly her entire career at CECMED, working her way up the ranks in a unique trajectory: from her first position in 1992 in the Center's microbiology laboratories, she has since worked in all but one of the six areas required by WHO to qualify as a National Regulatory Authority of Reference (NRAr; CECMED was certified as a Level 4 NRAr in 2011, a qualification it maintains). In short, Jacobo-Casanueva is a regulatory polymath, with hands-on experience in nearly every facet of regulation. She is also an adjunct researcher in the Faculty of Biology at the University of Havana. Cuba's decision to confront the pandemic autonomously by developing preventive vaccines to control COVID-19 is deliberate and fraught with challenges. With dozens of ongoing clinical trials, coupled with the declining epidemiological and economic situation in Cuba-exacerbated by tightened US sanctions affecting all facets of COVID-19 prevention and response-we appreciate the time Jacobo-Casanueva took from her schedule to parse the complex regulatory mechanisms required to introduce Cuban and imported products into the national health system. Editor's note: Just days after this interview was conducted in Havana, CECMED granted Emergency Use Authorization for Abdala, one of five Cuban COVID-19 vaccine candidates undergoing clinical trials since 2020.

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A strong foundation of primary care is critical to the health system and is particularly important during pandemics like COVID-19. Primary care practices should be a natural fi t for triaging, testing, treating, and educating patients.-Corinne Lewis, Shanoor Seervai, Tanya Shah, Melinda K. Abrams, and Laurie Zephyrin MD The Commonwealth Fund, April 22, 2020[1.

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Los abordajes antropológicos en salud pública, a pesar de no contar aún con la suficiente extensión, se basan sobre todo en la necesidad de interpretar la relación del proceso salud-enfermedad-atención, con la cultura y la sociedad. Posterior a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la antropología médica comienza a asumir un rol aplicado y logra perfilarse como una disciplina tanto teórica como práctica, con abundantes usos para y por la salud pública. Se pretende argumentar y debatir las razones que justifican la pertinencia y aplicabilidad de la antropología médica a la salud pública. Se presenta una fundamentación analítico-crítica sobre la pertinencia y aplicabilidad de la antropología médica en el campo de la salud pública, y sobre sus usos potenciales. En el caso particular de Cuba, la inserción de la antropología médica o aplicada a la salud en el campo de la salud pública, todavía es insuficiente, a pesar de sus muchas aplicaciones potenciales. Se hace necesario incrementar la presencia de las ciencias sociales en general y de la antropología médica en particular, en la formación curricular en el campo de las ciencias de la salud pública, así como de sus abordajes prácticos en las investigaciones y acciones en este campo(AU)

Anthropological approaches in the public health, despite their insufficient extension, are based on the need of interpreting the relationship between the health-disease-care process and culture and the society. After the Second World War, medical anthropology began playing a role and managed to take shape as both a theoretical and practical discipline, with many uses for and by the public health. The objectives of this paper were to argument and to discuss the reasons behind the relevance and applicability of medical anthropology in the public health. To this end, an analytical-critical substantiation on appropriateness and applicability of medical anthropology in the field of public health and on its potential uses was submitted. Regarding Cuba, the insertion of medical anthropology in the field of public health is still inadequate despite its many potential applications. It is then necessary to increase the presence of social sciences in general and of medical anthropology in particular into the curricular formation of the public health sciences as well as the application of its practical approaches in research studies and actions to be developed in this field(AU)

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Los abordajes antropológicos en salud pública, a pesar de no contar aún con la suficiente extensión, se basan sobre todo en la necesidad de interpretar la relación del proceso salud-enfermedad-atención, con la cultura y la sociedad. Posterior a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la antropología médica comienza a asumir un rol aplicado y logra perfilarse como una disciplina tanto teórica como práctica, con abundantes usos para y por la salud pública. Se pretende argumentar y debatir las razones que justifican la pertinencia y aplicabilidad de la antropología médica a la salud pública. Se presenta una fundamentación analítico-crítica sobre la pertinencia y aplicabilidad de la antropología médica en el campo de la salud pública, y sobre sus usos potenciales. En el caso particular de Cuba, la inserción de la antropología médica o aplicada a la salud en el campo de la salud pública, todavía es insuficiente, a pesar de sus muchas aplicaciones potenciales. Se hace necesario incrementar la presencia de las ciencias sociales en general y de la antropología médica en particular, en la formación curricular en el campo de las ciencias de la salud pública, así como de sus abordajes prácticos en las investigaciones y acciones en este campo(AU)

Anthropological approaches in the public health, despite their insufficient extension, are based on the need of interpreting the relationship between the health-disease-care process and culture and the society. After the Second World War, medical anthropology began playing a role and managed to take shape as both a theoretical and practical discipline, with many uses for and by the public health. The objectives of this paper were to argument and to discuss the reasons behind the relevance and applicability of medical anthropology in the public health. To this end, an analytical-critical substantiation on appropriateness and applicability of medical anthropology in the field of public health and on its potential uses was submitted. Regarding Cuba, the insertion of medical anthropology in the field of public health is still inadequate despite its many potential applications. It is then necessary to increase the presence of social sciences in general and of medical anthropology in particular into the curricular formation of the public health sciences as well as the application of its practical approaches in research studies and actions to be developed in this field(AU)

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El presente trabajo, tuvo el objetivo de evaluar la pertinencia del actual Programa de la Maestría en Educación Médica que se desarrolla en la Escuela Nacional de Salud Pública desde el año 1998, así como la calidad en la organización y ejecución del proceso docente educativo. Es una investigación de corte cualitativo y cuantitativo, los métodos utilizados fueron teóricos, empíricos y estadísticos, con la correspondiente triangulación metodológica de la información obtenida por diferentes fuentes para el análisis y arribo a las conclusiones correspondientes. Se realizó la revisión documental del programa, guías de estudio y evaluaciones de cada módulo en las tres ediciones. Se realizaron entrevistas a expertos del Sistema Nacional de Salud, a informantes claves. Se efectuaron encuestas a maestrantes que provienen de diferentes niveles del sistema formativo, con igual objetivo. Finalmente se desarrolló un grupo focal en el seno del Comité Académico donde se discutieron y fundamentaron los programas propuestos, con los cambios que permitirán su perfeccionamiento para futuras ediciones de la Maestría. Como resultado se identificaron los principales cambios en el actual sistema formativo y la necesidad de preparar a los docentes para conducir el proceso docente educativo con estas particularidades. Como conclusiones se destacan: existe un alto grado de satisfacción con el desarrollo del proceso docente educativo de la Maestría expresado por estudiantes y profesores. El perfeccionamiento del programa de la maestría se ha ido implementando en el desarrollo de cada uno de sus diferentes módulos. Se introdujo desde la 4ta edición el diseño y ejecución de las estrategias curriculares: investigación educacional en salud y tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones. Se utiliza el aula virtual en salud como recurso de aprendizaje y estrategia virtual de aprendizaje colaborativo, desde la 3ra edición(AU)

The objective of present paper is to assess the relevance of the current Medical Education Mastery Program developing in the Public Health National School from 1998, as well as the quality of the organization and the carrying out of educational teaching process. This is a quantitative and qualitative research using the following types of methods: theoretical, empirical and statistical with the corresponding methodological triangulation of the information obtained by different sources for the analysis and to come to the pertinent conclusions. The documentary review of this program was carried out, the study guidings and the evaluations of each module in the three editions. Interviews to experts of the National Health System were performed to key informers and also mastery surveys from different levels of the formative system with the same objective. Finally, a focal group was developed within the Academic Committee where the proposal programs were discussed and based, with changes that will allow its improvement for future editions of the Mastery. As result, we identified the major changes in the current formative system and the need to prepare students for to direct the educative teaching process with these peculiarities. As conclusions the following features stand out: that there is a high degree of satisfaction with the development of educational teaching process of Mastery expressed by students and professors. The mastery program improvement has been applying in the development of each of its different modules. From the fourth edition we have introduced the design and the execution of curricular strategies: educational research in health and information technologies and of communications. The health virtual classroom is used as a learning resource and virtual strategy of cooperative learning from the third edition(AU)

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El presente trabajo, tuvo el objetivo de evaluar la pertinencia del actual Programa de la Maestría en Educación Médica que se desarrolla en la Escuela Nacional de Salud Pública desde el año 1998, así como la calidad en la organización y ejecución del proceso docente educativo. Es una investigación de corte cualitativo y cuantitativo, los métodos utilizados fueron teóricos, empíricos y estadísticos, con la correspondiente triangulación metodológica de la información obtenida por diferentes fuentes para el análisis y arribo a las conclusiones correspondientes. Se realizó la revisión documental del programa, guías de estudio y evaluaciones de cada módulo en las tres ediciones. Se realizaron entrevistas a expertos del Sistema Nacional de Salud, a informantes claves. Se efectuaron encuestas a maestrantes que provienen de diferentes niveles del sistema formativo, con igual objetivo. Finalmente se desarrolló un grupo focal en el seno del Comité Académico donde se discutieron y fundamentaron los programas propuestos, con los cambios que permitirán su perfeccionamiento para futuras ediciones de la Maestría. Como resultado se identificaron los principales cambios en el actual sistema formativo y la necesidad de preparar a los docentes para conducir el proceso docente educativo con estas particularidades. Como conclusiones se destacan: existe un alto grado de satisfacción con el desarrollo del proceso docente educativo de la Maestría expresado por estudiantes y profesores. El perfeccionamiento del programa de la maestría se ha ido implementando en el desarrollo de cada uno de sus diferentes módulos. Se introdujo desde la 4ta edición el diseño y ejecución de las estrategias curriculares: investigación educacional en salud y tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones. Se utiliza el aula virtual en salud como recurso de aprendizaje y estrategia virtual de aprendizaje colaborativo, desde la 3ra edición

The objective of present paper is to assess the relevance of the current Medical Education Mastery Program developing in the Public Health National School from 1998, as well as the quality of the organization and the carrying out of educational teaching process. This is a quantitative and qualitative research using the following types of methods: theoretical, empirical and statistical with the corresponding methodological triangulation of the information obtained by different sources for the analysis and to come to the pertinent conclusions. The documentary review of this program was carried out, the study guidings and the evaluations of each module in the three editions. Interviews to experts of the National Health System were performed to key informers and also mastery surveys from different levels of the formative system with the same objective. Finally, a focal group was developed within the Academic Committee where the proposal programs were discussed and based, with changes that will allow its improvement for future editions of the Mastery. As result, we identified the major changes in the current formative system and the need to prepare students for to direct the educative teaching process with these peculiarities. As conclusions the following features stand out: that there is a high degree of satisfaction with the development of educational teaching process of Mastery expressed by students and professors. The mastery program improvement has been applying in the development of each of its different modules. From the fourth edition we have introduced the design and the execution of curricular strategies: educational research in health and information technologies and of communications. The health virtual classroom is used as a learning resource and virtual strategy of cooperative learning from the third edition

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