Detroit, October 30 (RHC)-- The Michigan State University has announced that medical students of that higher education center will be able to do part of their curriculum in Cuban hospitals as of April 2016.

According to the announcement on the website of the university, following the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana, the Michigan State University was the first to reach an agreement with Cuban authorities to develop a new course for U.S. students, which will count as part of their academic curriculum, international news agencies reported.

The initiative allows the students to learn from a health system which has been a leader in identifying social factors influencing diseases and working on their prevention. The students will also learn about community medicine, obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics and geriatrics.

In Cuba, the Michigan State University students will be able to do their practice at the Calixto Garcia General Hospital, an medical training institution in Havana, or at the Ramon Gonzalez Coro Hospital, specialized in obstetrics and gynecology, according to the information.

William Cunningham, from the Faculty of Medicine at Michigan State University, said that this will be the first time that U.S. medical students will be able to develop skills in three of the main hospitals of Havana and get credit for their experiences.

The first group of students will be selected out of the fourth year of the medical course, in early April. Thus far, 30 students have applied to participate in the initiative.