Special Courses & Programs

LAPAHS Course in Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases

Program Details
Location: Iquitos, Peru
Dates: February 15-26, 2027
Duration: 2 Weeks
Language: Spanish
Enrollment: Limited to 25 participants
Tuition: $700 Trainees / $1,000 Professionals - This includes transportation for the included field trips but does not include flights, meals, and accommodation.

The LAPAHS Course in Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases is an immersive educational and hands-on non-degree certification program based in Iquitos, Peru. The collaboration between UCLA and Hospital Regional de Loreto (HRL) and UNAP (Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana) provides comprehensive instruction on tropical diseases through an intercultural, multidisciplinary approach rooted in the unique epidemiological context of the Peruvian Amazon. 

The course aims to educate students and healthcare professionals on critical global challenges in tropical medicine and public health, and to equip participants with the skills needed to diagnose, manage, and treat tropical diseases effectively. The course is conducted in Spanish, providing providers with an opportunity to improve and practice medical Spanish throughout the course.  

Full details available in the course description and the LAPAHS brochure. Follow the LAPAHS social media pages (Instagram, Facebook) for updates.

The course consists of: 

  1. Didactic lectures, seminars, and discussions in infectious diseases and tropical medicine and tropical public health led by local tropical and infectious disease physicians and invited lecturers from the US 
  2. Practical field activities that integrate specialized diagnostic techniques such as slit-skin smears for leprosy and thick and thin blood films for malaria, alongside environmental vector control and community outreach 
  3. Identification of local snake species and recognizing bite patterns to guide therapy 
  4. Laboratory demonstrations and practicums in microbiology and hematology 

Interested individuals should follow CDC guidelines for recommended vaccines and prophylaxis for travel in the area.  

Background

The LAPAHS course occurs in person in Iquitos, Peru, twice per year in February and November. The next course will take place February 15th - February 26th 2027.  

Iquitos is Peru’s largest city in the Amazon, famous as the world’s largest city inaccessible by road, reached only by river or air. In this region, tropical diseases, including malaria, dengue, and leptospirosis, among others, are still some of the main health problems, affecting the poorest and most underserved populations. 

The course provides students and healthcare professionals with comprehensive tropical medicine training. Global disease patterns are no longer geographically contained with climate change expanding disease vectors for dengue, chikungunya, zika, and malaria, and with international travel and migration increasing case importation. 

There is a growing need for all health care professionals to have an understanding of vector-borne disease diagnostics, parasitology competency, travel medicine literacy, and awareness of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The duration of LAPAHS (two weeks) makes the course accessible to working health care professionals and students who are often unable to commit to longer programs but are interested in tropical medicine training. 

Activities & Course Topics

A typical day starts with morning lectures delivered in Spanish by course faculty and collaborators, followed by clinical rounds in the regional hospital and affiliated clinical sites. After a break for lunch, afternoon activities include diagnostic laboratory sessions, small group tutorials, and afternoon lectures. 

Weekends may include an overnight community visit to participate in public health promotion activities.

Course Topics: 

  • Malaria: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment 
    • Practical malaria diagnostics lab: making and interpreting smears
  • Dengue and other arboviruses
    • Practical viral diagnostics lab 
  • Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis 
  • Chagas disease
    • Trypanosoma diagnostics lab
  • Tuberculosis: epidemiology, pathophysiology, testing, and treatment 
    • AFB diagnostics lab
  • Cutaneous NTM
  • Leprosy: epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostics, and treatment
  • GI parasites: nematodes, cestodes, trematodes, protozoa 
    • Stoop parasite lab 
  • Nutrition: Undernutrition, food preparation and NTD, deficiency related illnesses 
  • Pre-travel vaccinations and prophylaxis
  • Cutaneous infections: Myiasis, tungiasis 
  • Snakebites and venomous invertebrates 
  • Leptospirosis 
  • Paracoccidioidomycosis, Histoplasmosis, Mycetoma 
    • Fungal diagnostics lab
  • Clinical Case discussions  
Application

The registration process is managed through the UCLA Center for Continuing Professional Development (CCPD) in partnership with course coordinators in Iquitos.  

The course is limited to 25 participants in order of application. 

Interested individuals should contact: Drs. DeCan and Ramirez Garcia 

  • Courtney DeCan, MD, MPH: Partnership Director, International Education Collaboration – UCLA Department of Medicine
  • Edgar Antonio Ramirez Garcia, MD  – Course Director – Infectious and Tropical Diseases Specialist