Young Holguín physician Wilber Jesús Riverón Carralero, although only 27 years old, has known how to take advantage of his time for his personal and professional improvement.
At his young age, he is a first degree specialist in Internal Medicine by means of vertical internship, he is a doctoral student, he is a main professor at the University of Medical Sciences of Holguin (UCMHo), he is part of the young chapter of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, he is the president of the Provincial Chapter of Internal Medicine and more recently he was one of the 20 young people selected in Cuba to be part of the New Generation program, which is carried out by the Russian Federation.
This 2023 was the first year in which Cuba participates in such program, which has been operating since 2011 for young representatives of scientific, political, social and business circles of different nations, in order for them to get to know the scientific-educational and cultural life of Russia.
This is also a way to create proposals for development and cooperation among the participating countries, an experience in which for just over a decade more than 50 countries and about 40 thousand delegates have taken part.
Referring to this professional opportunity, the young clinician explains that “The selection process took into account a meeting with young people in Biomedicine. The resumes of potential candidates were sent to Russia and they were in charge of selecting the young people, who had to be between 25 and 35 years old and have relevant academic and research achievements.
“In Cuba, 20 young people were selected, nine of them from the state business group BioCubaFarma, six from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (Citma) and five from the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), from this last group I was one of those selected.”
Cuban delegation, scientific exchange, Russia
Professional opportunities of the New Generation program
The program was held from November 4 to 11 in Moscow, which represented a unique opportunity for this young scientist who works at the Lucía Íñiguez Landín Clinical Surgical Hospital.
“The main objective of this event was to resume the research ties that existed during the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and to promote academic and research exchanges between the two countries. It was announced that as of this year, the Russian government will finance places for postgraduate studies, as this is an exchange that is set to increase.
“During the stay in Moscow, we visited historical centers, from Red Square; the Victory Museum, which illustrates the defeat of the fascist army by the USSR; as well as other emblematic places.
We visited research centers, state-of-the-art hospitals, research institutes. We had the opportunity to be also in the laboratory where the processing of samples was taken over when the Covid-19 in Moscow, which was the largest that existed in Europe at that time.
“In that sense, the Russian side was very interested in the Cuban biotechnological development and scientific potential, in fact they expressed their astonishment that Cuba being a blockaded country had developed five vaccine candidates, when it took them longer to develop their own immunogen, taking into account the state-of-the-art technology they have.
“In addition, Cuban doctors stand out for their great humanistic capacity and for their direct contact with the patient, which is not common in developed countries, since they graduate and treat patients through simulators, they do not touch them directly. They are also very motivated to exchange experiences in medical education with the Cuban culture and others.
“We exchanged with Moscow authorities, delegates and deputies of the House of Representatives, who were very interested in cooperation. On the last day we participated in the closing ceremony at Moscow University, specifically at the Faculty of Chemistry, which is the largest of the university, where young people of more than 100 nationalities study.”
As part of this program, communication is maintained with participants, as on November 30 the young people who visited Moscow participated online in a conference offered from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Moscow.
They were also informed of the invitation to participate in March 2024 in the Russian city of Sochi, in the World Festival of Youth and Students.
Motivations to opt for a career in Medicine
Dr. Wilber de Jesús, students of Medicine, Holguín, Cuba.
“The career of Medicine is complex, many times young people are not motivated to choose it, or perhaps because of difficulties in vocational training. More than anything, I chose the career considering that I have always liked helping others, I have always liked the research part and I am passionate about teaching. A doctor combines teaching, assistance, administration and research.
“Once I entered the program, I liked it very much, and every day I fell in love with it more and more. That made it possible for me to opt for my assistantship, which allowed me to become a vertical intern, resident and go to the specialty that I have always liked: Internal Medicine. That is why I am currently working as such”.
Balance between personal and professional life
“My personal life, like every young man, has the professional part, the latter steals a lot of my time, because I work at the hospital “Lucia” from Monday to Saturday, from morning to afternoon, I have to do medical guards and the personal part if it were not for the support of the family, it would be impossible.
It helps me to be single and not have children, because with those responsibilities it would be more difficult for me to develop professionally. If it were not for my family that allows me to dedicate this great part of my time to my professional development, I would not be able to do it. I also try to eliminate stressful elements, to have direct contact with nature, I go on sporadic outings to disconnect with the environment, because not everything can be work, everything must be linked to personal growth”..
Goals to achieve…
“I am only 27 years old, I just graduated in 2020, I have been a specialist for almost a year and the first thing in the immediate future, which I must finish in 2024 is my doctoral thesis.
“I plan to do some postdoctoral study in Cuba or abroad, in any scholarship opportunity and continue contributing to the sector from the academic side, because I really like teaching, that is why I am a senior lecturer at UCMHo, to train the new generations. I try to motivate young people because there is a false belief that to be a Doctor of Science, to be an academic, a researcher, you have to be over 40 or 50 years old, principles that have changed.
“In fact, the Academy of Sciences of Cuba was in charge of creating a young chapter where we were selected to be part of it, which is integrated by 62 young people of the country, a sign that we must guarantee the relay, because in the youth as Che would say, is the main clay of our work”.
When talking to Dr. Wilber de Jesús Riverón, one can appreciate his great mastery of the subjects he deals with, his evident preparation in the field of medical sciences, his capacity to successfully assume multiple tasks, but above all his maturity and focus on achieving his dreams, those that despite his youth have not been impossible to attain.
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