One Health: Public Health in the Tropics

I learned so many important and new things about healthcare in Belize. This program provided many unique experiences I could not have gotten anywhere else. I also got to meet many amazing people and form new friendships.

Overall I loved my experience here. I got to meet with people from the communities and learn their perspective of what it means to heal people. This prgram also allowed me to solidify my career choice of wanting to become a nurse, which I am extremely grateful for.

The most amazing blend of education and culture. A jam-packed schedule with amazing activities and experiences that really open your eyes to a different culture. I loved Belize and Loop Abroad and would do it again!

I think that the integration of students in real life scenarios was the most beneficial part of learning to me! Our guides made a really huge impact on my life and my future interests. Also the BFLA was the best policy talk.

CELA Belize and my Global Health course was the highlight of my college career. I was able to take my own knowledge from my Public Health major at Rutgers University and advance it in a way I never thought I could. Everything from the course lecture, field visits to local hospitals and clinics, and guest lectures from some of the most prestigious organizations in the world were each a component of this trip that has expanded my network and left a mark on my education that I will always cherish. This program is excellent; staff and professors always make sure you feel at home, safe, and influence you to explore the city. I always felt safe, cared for, and inspired. I wish I could do it all over again. If you are a prospective student looking into taking a course with CELA Belize do it! It will be the adventure of a lifetime.

The Global Health course was excellent. I truly learned more than I ever thought I could in 2 weeks. We had the opportunity to speak with wonderful Healthcare and Public Health speakers. However, more culture immersion and hands on experience needs to be added.

I found CELA Belize by Googling "Pre Med Program with hands on experience". CELA offered a course combining ethnomedicine and global health and set up an internship in a local clinic for me. The experience was beyond anything I would've even known to search for.

I loved this program. I was able to experience so many hands on activities. It wasn't like having one professor in a classroom. We toured multiple agencies and spoke to people directly involving in everyday global health planning for Belize. It was a fantastic opportunity.

This class was quite a different experience from my previous ethnobotany course. I got to work in a more modern setting compared to the jungle conditions I often found myself two weeks ago. I thought that my professor for global health was very good and I appreciated everything he did for us and taught us. It was an amazing experience getting to talk to so many agencies and see the hospitals.

Overall, the course was good, but not quite what I expected. I learned a lot about global health issues such as climate change and tropical diseases. Unfortunately, the syllabus was misleading because I thought I would have more contact with humans, but instead we just went to a lot of agencies.

My experience in Belize was one I couldn't have prepared for. I didn't know what to expect before I got there and in some ways this was the best approach because I had an open mind. Prepare to go with the flow and take everything in. It's a great place to open up and experience another country for what it is- at first one might not think there's a culture to experience but go out and ask the locals questions/get to know them (they're ALL so friendly and open). Some things irritated me (get used to Belizean time when you're out for dinner) but just let those feelings go because you're time there will be shorter than it seems. The course was amazing, don't go in with preconceptions or notions that you know what it will be about. I learned more than I thought I would and this experience opened a lot of doors for me. I would definitely recommend this program- it's relatively cheap, you can go only knowing English (but try your Spanish out if you know it), and the atmosphere is very friendly and accommodating.

Winter 2014/2015 wast the launch of the Global Health program at ISIS. Dr. Marvin (the instructor) is truly inspirational. The course provided interesting and relevant speakers from all across the health industry - water, animal health, traditional healing, epidemiology etc. Wish the class was more project-based or activities driven as it was a lot of lecturing - sometimes 5+ hours a day. Other ISIS classes have more action-based activities so I have no doubt that the program will only continue to improve. I've learned a lot about global health as a whole and the Belize story specifically. Belize is amazing and there is great need for people to contribute to the country so if you're passionate, come to Belize and learn all that you can!