Students and health practitioners traveling abroad seek insightful, culturally relevant background material to orient them to the environment in which they will be living and working. No single book currently provides this contextual background and global health perspective. These essays emphasize building partnerships and were written by United States medical and dental professionals, in collaboration with social scientists and Latin American medical personnel. The authors provide the historical, political, and cultural background for contemporary health care challenges, especially related to poverty. Combining personal insights with broader discussion of country contexts, this volume serves as an essential guide for anyone—from medical professionals to undergraduate students—heading to Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean to do health care–related work.

MARGO J. KRASNOFF, MD, was associate professor of medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and had extensive health-related experience in Nicaragua.