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The University of Holguín (UHo) announced this Thursday the passing of Yarima Pupo Ochoa, professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences and head of the Department of Economics, a loss that has caused deep sorrow within the Holguín university community.
The news was announced by the institution on its official Facebook page, through a statement that did not specify the cause or the exact date of Pupo Ochoa's death. In the comments, people close to his circle stated that he had been suffering from cancer.
"Our university community mourns the passing of Yarima Pupo Ochoa, a professor in the Faculty of Economic Sciences," published UHo, emphasizing that the educator "was always distinguished by her responsibility and discipline."
Pupo Ochoa held a degree in Economics from the University of Holguín and began her teaching career in the Department of Economics in 2008, the note stated.
The academic earned a Master’s degree in Health Economics and between 2018 and 2023, she spent time in Russia to complete her doctoral studies through a scholarship. Upon her return, she took on the role of head of the Department of Economics, a position she held until her passing.
His career included publications in international journals. In 2021, he published the article "Cuban Public Health Management in Light of the Pandemic" in Iberoamérica Journal, and also analyzed the Cuban national health system in the journal of RUDN University in Russia. Additionally, he participated in scientific conventions such as Cuba Salud 2012 and Cubambiente 2023.
In the hundreds of comments on the official announcement, numerous colleagues, former students, and acquaintances expressed their sorrow and disbelief at the loss, describing Pupo Ochoa as a dedicated and close professional, whose death left a difficult void to fill in the department she led.
"Our deepest condolences go out to their family and friends," concluded the statement from UHo, an institution that in recent years has accumulated a painful list of losses within its academic community. In July 2023, the rector, Miriam Rodríguez Campos, passed away at the age of 60; and a year later, in August 2024, Professor Gilberto Laffita was murdered in an attempted robbery at his home in the Peralta neighborhood.
Moreover, the death of Pupo Ochoa adds another tragic event to a series of recent mourning periods in the national university system. In November 2025, the University of Oriente in Santiago de Cuba recorded at least eight deaths of professors, students, and staff in just 40 days, amidst an uncontrolled epidemic of arbovirosis.
That same month, Dr. Pedro Álvarez Cruz passed away, a professor at the Faculty of Geography at the University of Havana (UH).
In addition to the grief over the losses, these recent deaths have heightened concerns within the country's university sector, which is going through a phase marked by deteriorating infrastructure, resource shortages, and a national energy crisis that has forced higher education institutions to adopt emergency measures to ensure their operations.
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