Medical Students Explore Link Between Environmental Policy and Public Health at CIAT
Tafí Viejo, Argentina – Over 120 first-year medical students from teh Faculty of Medicine recently visited the Environmental and Technological Interpretation Center (CIAT) to observe the direct impact of environmental and social policies on public health. The educational visit, led by Dr. lourdes Ceballos, Deputy Director of Health and a Faculty member, provided a firsthand look at how community initiatives can improve individual and collective well-being.
The visit underscores a growing recognition within the medical field of the crucial connection between environmental factors and patient health. By witnessing the CIAT’s operations, students gained insight into how proactive environmental policies can address social determinants of health, ultimately contributing to a healthier population. This experience aims to shape future physicians who understand the broader context of healthcare beyond traditional clinical settings.
During the tour, students learned about the CIAT’s processes for reusing, recycling, and adding value to waste materials. The center currently employs over 190 individuals who previously engaged in informal waste collection,now benefiting from formal employment,training,and improved working conditions.
“We brought students to observe the determinants of health, not only environmental, but also the social factors that are evidenced here,” explained Dr. Ceballos. “In the CIAT more than 190 people who were previously in the street gathering cartons and today have them with formal employment, training, safety and hygiene. that also directly affects the health of the individual.”
The primary goal of the visit was to demonstrate how environmental policies implemented in Tafí Viejo directly contribute to the welfare of the population. “We want them to see that taking care of the environment is also taking care of our health,” Dr. Ceballos concluded.
[Image of students at CIAT – https://www.tafiviejo.gob.ar/fotos/notas/2025/09/11/250911142651_53662.jpg]
[Image of students at CIAT – https://www.tafiviejo.gob.ar/fotos/notas/2025/09/11/250911142708_86734.jpg]
[Image of students at CIAT – https://www.tafiviejo.gob.ar/fotos/notas/2025/09/11/250911142731_37878.jpg]
[Image of students at CIAT – https://www.tafiviejo.gob.ar/fotos/notas/2025/09/11/250911142751_98271.jpg]
