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UVM Travel Study Abroad
Introducing PH 6300 Costa Rica: Exploring Health Care Systems
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Break 2027 (March 6, 2027, through March 13, 2027)
Program Description:
How does a small nation with no standing army achieve one of the highest life expectancies in the Americas? Step beyond the classroom to explore how universal healthcare, cultural tradition, and planetary health intersect in real time.
Your journey begins with an orientation and historic walking tour in Costa Rica's vibrant capital, San José, before traveling south to your main base at the world-renowned Las Cruces Biological Station near San Vito, a mountainous agricultural district near the border with Panama. In this intensive 1-week field course, you will gain an insider’s look at global health governance, migration, and health equity. Rather than just studying health systems in theory, you will observe them on the ground through direct community engagement and site visits, including:
- Primary Care in Action (EBAIS): Shadow local care teams providing comprehensive primary care to 4,000-patient catchments.
- Migrant & Child Health (Casas de la Alegría): Tour innovative public-private daycare centers built specifically for the children of seasonal coffee harvesters.
- Cross-Border Mobility (Río Sereno Border Post): Examine migration, human rights, and disease prevention strategies along the Panama border during peak harvest season.
- Indigenous Health Equity (La Casona): Dialogue with community leaders in Ngöbe-Buglé territory about intercultural care, traditional medicine, and health rights.
- Planetary Health & Water Governance (Pittier): Walk the Cotón River basin and meet with local activists to analyze the health and social impacts of hydroelectric projects.
After a week of immersive field work, you will connect ecosystem health to human health with an excursion to Manuel Antonio National Park along the Pacific coast before returning to San José for your departure flight home.
Partner Organization: Administered in partnership with Child Family Health International (CFHI), a UN-recognized non-profit and award-winning leader in global health education with over 30 years of ethical, community-based programming.
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