Havana, Cuba
September 12 -16, 2023
In partnership with The Care Lab, the AFHE Senior Fellows community is coming together to engage in dialogue with the Cuban people and learn about their experience with a health system that has been lauded internationally for its achievements, while bearing witness to the complex realities of life in Cuba.
Convening FAQs
Due to restrictions related to travel to Cuba, fellows may not invite partners, family or other guests to join them during this convening. As a U.S. based institution we must follow strict travel regulations and comply with rules outlined by the U.S. government and The George Washington University. We have received permission to bring participants to Cuba for educational purposes only, tourism is not permitted on this trip. This means we do not have the flexibility to approve travel for any guests.
Given the special circumstances and restrictions related to travel to Cuba, travel outside of program dates is not allowed.
If you have to cancel your trip for any reason, please let know Tamara Tur immediately.
Please note, if you cancel your trip after stipends have been issued, you are responsible for paying the funds back to The George Washington University. International fellows will be asked to wire the funds back. U.S. fellows will need to transfer the funds back or mail a check payable to The George Washington University. We will reach out with further instructions, should this situation occur.
Flight changes after a ticket has been booked are not permitted. Please review our air travel policy.
Fellows who are eligible for the U.S. ESTA program (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) should be aware that: “With limited exceptions, a traveler who is found to have visited Cuba.. is not eligible for travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) using an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and must apply for a visa to travel to the United States.” If this applies to you, we’d advise you to consult with your trusted immigration counsel, and also notify us so that we can organize travel arrangements accordingly. You can read more about ESTA and Cuba policy here.
You can upload photos you take in Cuba here.

Participants
Participants
Senior Fellows will be traveling to Cuba to broaden and deepen their understanding of complex issues and learn from each other about various approaches to drive change. Please spend some time getting to know each and the work you all do.


Recommended Reading + Viewing
Below are recommended reading and viewing (click on the headers to expand) to help you understand the political and social context of Cuba. The Cuba Platform materials were produced by the current directors of CARE LAB during their collaboration with the Atlantic Fellows programs.
- On the economy, sanctions, and emigration: LeoGrande article in World Politics Review
- On fuel shortages: Ed Augustin in the Guardian
- Anti-government protests of 2021: from Belly of the Beast’s War on Cuba series (video)
- Equity and the Cuban National Health System’s response to COVID: from PAHO
- Cuban door-to-door doctors: Video from Belly of the Beast
- Cuba Platform May 6, 2020 (audio or read) webinar
- Cuba Platform Caring in Crisis 2020 series
- Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution, by Louis A. Pérez
- Cuba: What Everyone Needs To Know, by Julia Sweig
- Conflicting Missions: Havana, Washington, and Africa, 1959-1976, by Piero Gleijeses
- Everyday Moral Economies: Food Politics and Scale in Cuba, by Marisa Wilson
- The Myth of the Male Breadwinner: Women and Industrialization in the Caribbean (Cuba chapter), by Helen Safa
- Revolutionary Medicine: Health and the Body in Post-Soviet Cuba, by P. Sean Brotherton
- Revolutionizing Romance: Interracial Couples in Contemporary Cuba, by Nadine Fernandez
- Sowing Change: The Making of Havana’s Urban Agriculture, by Adriana Premat
- ¡Venceremos?: The Erotics of Black Self-Making in Cuba, by Jafari Allen
- Women’s Work: Gender Equality in Cuba and the Role of Women in Building Cuba’s Future, Published by Center for Democracy in the Americas under the direction of Sarah Stephens
- Maestra, directed by Catherine Murphy
- Raza, directed by Eric Corvalán
- ¡Salud!, directed by Connie Field
- The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, directed by Faith Morgan
- Conducta (Behavior), by Ernesto Daranas
- Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberries and Chocolate), Directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio
- Vestido de Novia (His Wedding Dress), Directed by Marilyn Solaya