Not just for their health – Hofstra University group comes to Bremen and Constructor University for insights on Germany’s healthcare and welfare systems

A dozen students and three professors from New York’s Hofstra University spent a week in Bremen to explore Germany’s healthcare and welfare systems. Supported by Constructor University, the itinerary featured lectures from academics, discussions with healthcare professionals and policymakers, and was further enriched through a robust culture program, with visits to the Emigration Museum in Bremerhaven and the Paula Modersohn Becker Museum in Bremen. This exchange, the first of its kind at Constructor University, provided students with invaluable insights into Germany’s solidarity-based approach to healthcare and welfare – contrasting sharply with the American model – while also highlighting its challenges, such as understaffing and technology gaps.
 

Gabriella DeLeon was deeply impressed. “This trip has not only deepened my understanding of German culture, but also broadened my perspective on what it means to create equity and opportunity in our communities,” said the health sciences student at Hofstra University in the US. “Thank you for this incredible experience!” Gabriella was part of a group of 12 students and three professors who spent a week in Bremen with the support of Constructor University to learn about the healthcare and welfare systems in Germany. The program included lectures by academics such as Dr. Franziska Deutsch (Constructor University), Dr. Solveig Lena Hansen (University of Bremen) and Mattias Zündel (Integrated Health Campus Bremen). “Programs like this are so impactful because of their shorter nature, they allow for many students that may not have gone abroad to gain this experience,” said International Programs Coordinator Magdalena Dieterle.

The Hofstra group, however, did not solely limit their focus to the academic sector, as they also connected and engaged with policymakers and practitioners from the healthcare sector. For example, Reiner Bensch, spokesperson for health, hospitals and healthcare for the CDU parliamentary group in Bremen's parliament, spoke to the group about addressing political concerns with the healthcare needs of individuals in the greater Bremen area. Rounding out the visit was a pair of visits to Bremen area museums, including the Emigration Museum in Bremerhaven and the Paula Modersohn Becker Museum. “My father is an immigrant who came to the United States in search of a better life. “From learning about the stories of emigrants from Bremerhaven or the healthcare system’s “intergenerational contract,” we saw first-hand how collective efforts can create systems that prioritize equity and care for all – and it reinforced the idea that building a better future often requires both individual sacrifices and a shared commitment.”

The visit of the study group from the USA to Constructor University was a first. “Constructor University was able to design this program for Hofstra in a way that went even further, with inclusion of these speakers and sessions the Hofstra students had the opportunity to have personal interactions with politicians and health care practitioners that gave them a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn about the field of health care policy from those that create the lived experience of the field,” said Dieterle.

Hofstra University on Long Island in New York is a private university with 10,000 students. It offers around 175 undergraduate and around 200 graduate programs in a wide range of disciplines. The students, who are enrolled in courses in “Health Care Systems and Services” in “Health Care Reform” or in the “European Politics” program at their home university, were particularly impressed by the principle of solidarity in the German social and healthcare system, something that does not exist in the American system. “And, while challenges like understaffing and technology gaps exist, there remains a strong focus on equity and ensuring everyone has access to care,” said Gabriella. “In my opinion, that's the way it should be.”
 

Questions answered by:
D. Scott Peterson | Corporate Communications
dpeterson@constructor.university | Tel.: 0172 367 7317