The Path of Medical Biology in Cuba
Cuban medical education has undergone profound transformations since 1959, when health was declared a universal and free right. This commitment required an educational model capable of training doctors with preventive-promotional thinking, integrating teaching, research and clinical practice. In 2013, the Study Plan "D" was born, an innovative curricular design that reorganizes the Biological Bases of Medicine (BBM) as a fundamental axis for medical training. At the Puerto Padre Branch, the implementation of this plan revealed unexpected challenges, especially in Molecular Biology, where academic performance became a thermometer of educational effectiveness 1 .
Plan "D" emerged to respond to international standards of medical education (such as those of the World Federation for Medical Education, WFME). Its innovation lies in:
Links basic disciplines like Molecular Biology with clinical applications from the first year.
The BBM discipline spans three semesters, structured into seven subjects based on levels of biological organization.
Combines scientific training with primary care and community health 1 .
In the first semester, students face three key subjects:
Performance data from the University of Medical Sciences of Guantánamo (2016-2017) revealed an alarming gap:
| Subject | Promotion Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Molecular Biology | 73.6 |
| Cell, Basic Tissues and Integumentary System | 82.4 |
| Human Ontogeny and SOMA | 80.2 |
Source: 1
This disparity revealed structural problems in teaching abstract concepts such as DNA replication, gene expression and cell signaling.
A study in Guantánamo identified critical weaknesses:
In Basic Biomedical Sciences (CBB).
Master classes with little clinical linkage.
Laboratories without equipment for genetic experiments or PCR 1 .
"Students must visualize invisible processes (e.g., RNA translation) and relate them to complex diseases like cancer. Without clinical analogies, this is reduced to memorizing incomprehensible routes" 1 .
In Holguín, an alternative was proposed: Project-Based Learning (PBL). This model:
Example: Genetic sequencing projects linked to real patient cases.
Biologists, doctors and students collaborate in molecular diagnostics.
Digital PCR or CRISPR simulators when reagents are lacking 2 .
| Resource | Educational Function |
|---|---|
| PCR Simulators | Teaches DNA amplification without expensive reagents. |
| Virtual clinical cases | Links genetic mutations with real symptoms. |
| Community projects | Example: Analysis of hereditary predisposition to diabetes in local families. |
Source: 2
A project in Molecular Biology achieved:
From 68% to 89% in practical evaluations.
Students interpreted genetic tests for early diagnoses.
Two teams published results in local journals 2 .
| Indicator | Traditional Method | Project-Based Learning |
|---|---|---|
| Approval rate | 73.6% | 89.2% |
| Participation in research | 12% | 68% |
| Student satisfaction | 45% | 92% |
Source: 2
The crisis in Molecular Biology under Plan "D" is not a failure, but an opportunity to innovate. Cuba is moving towards a model where:
As the Genomic Medicine program at the University of Guadalajara points out, this requires doctorates that merge molecular biology with clinical management .
Plan "D" includes 10 stays of Comprehensive General Medicine, linking each molecular advance with community health from the first year 1 .