Cuban health professionals: will publishing perish?

Cuba is a small country with one of the highest physician-percapita ratios in the world (1:155 in 2007). Since the 1980s, all new MDs are required to complete a family medicine residency, and many go on to pursue a second medical specialty or an advanced degree in public health, medical education or medical sciences. The numbers of other university-level health professionals are impressive. Cuba is also home to globally-respected biotechnology and medical research institutions, such as the Finlay Institute and the Pedro Kour� Institute of Tropical Medicine. Yet, the number and frequency of articles by Cuban authors published in national and international journals does not reflect the breadth and depth of Cuban medical research and practice. The most frequently cited articles in international journals of impact are in the fields of genetics, neurosciences, immunology, pharmacology and oncology, and almost 80% of these are co-authored by non-Cubans. While it is certain that many of these articles reflect public health applications, you will find scant citations of articles on other important topics at the forefront of Cuban public health-such as primary health care, infectious disease control, human resource development, sexual and reproductive health, and social determinants of health and wellness.