Comparative Healthcare

Comparative Healthcare of Austria, Slovenia and the US is a program offered by the Center for Inter-American Studies in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Maribor. In the course of this program the University of Graz annually welcomes students from the University of Pittsburgh who are interested in healthcare or on the pre-med track. In Graz, they get the opportunity to study and experience various aspects of the Austrian and the Slovenian healthcare systems in contrast with the healthcare system of the United States.

Aim of this five-week, 6-credit study abroad program is to explore and provide insight into the healthcare systems of Austria, Slovenia and the United States through a comparative lens and to contrast them by use of specific examples. Additionally, the program sheds light on historical aspects of how the relationship between culture and health evolved, and how trends in healthcare can be viewed in physical and metaphorical spaces. Intersectional aspects such as health and aging, health and inequality, nutrition, education, sustainable healthcare are dealt with in detail. Simultaneously, the question of political, cultural and academic spaces of health and healthcare are investigated through different cultural lenses.

Selected excursions and experienced lecturers allow valuable insights in institutions focused on care, health promotion, and healthcare. Students are immersed in the healthcare system with hospital and care home visits and meetings with professionals in the field. Additionally, the course is meant to provide hands-on experiences with the healthcare system in lectures and workshops. The students gain in-depth knowledge about the current healthcare delivery in Austria and Slovenia which provides them with a well-rounded understanding of the respective healthcare system.

>> Comparative Healthcare Website (University of Pittsburgh)