The Family Medicine Cares International program consists of the following opportunities:

• A volunteer one-week annual delegation trip to the Dominican Republic.
• A Resident (or early career) scholarship to join the annual delegation trip, all expenses paid. Funding provided by Dr. David and Karen Smith Humanitarian Fund. 
• Please read the Program Overview for general volunteer and scholarship applicants. 
• For more information about the activities during the delegation, review an example of the schedule.

Annual Delegation Trip

The annual delegation trip is a one-week volunteer opportunity that includes both medical and non-medical individuals. The FMCI delegation members focus on many efforts during their time and may divide into specific teams to accomplish multiple projects.  Some focus on treating patients, others on delivering medical education and training, and others on connecting with the local children and youth.

2024 Delegation Highlights

• The third FMCI delegation trip took place February 10 - 17, 2024 with 17 participants (including 5 residents). To view highlights and learn more about the trip, click here.
• Scholarships awarded: The David and Karen Smith Foundation FMCI Scholarship was awarded to Tiffany Yu, MD from Adventist Health Hanford Family Medicine Residency Program, Hanford, CA.
• Delegation Activities:  Student panel discussion took place on February 13, 2024, titled, “Why Family Medicine” in partnership with Universidad Central de Este (UCE), a medical school located in San Pedro de Macorís graduates 350 medical students annually. Lead FMCI Consultant, Dr. Anna Doubeni, collaborated with Dr. Lissette Santana, UCE Coordinator of the A. Musa, El J. Pino, and R. de Lara family medicine residencies. Speakers on the panel were a mix of FMCI delegates and Family Medicine residents from the Dominican Republic. All shared their journeys in family medicine and discussed career options within the specialty.  Over 50 medical students attended.  
  • Symposium and Resident Bi-directional Learning Workshop on Hypertension: In the morning, a medical education symposium in collaboration with UCE took place on February 14, 2024.  The focus was on Hypertension. This was identified as a priority topic following discussions with Dr. Santana of the Family and Community Medicine Department of UCE.  Four clinical scenarios were presented.  Hypertension and Chronic Kidney Disease, Hypertension in Older Patients, Hypertension in Pregnancy, and Severe Asymptomatic Hypertension.  All presentations were presented in Spanish with interpreters. The symposium’s four didactic presentations were followed by small group breakout sessions with residents in the afternoon that were matched with visiting physicians. Specific clinical questions related to each presentation were discussed within the groups. Discussions included the differences and similarities in the treatment of Hypertension in the Dominican Republic and the United States. Presentations of the group’s analyses followed. There were 176 registrants for the symposium event.  Registrants were made up of local physicians, residents, OWS staff, and FMCI delegates. For the bi-directional learning activity, 40 residents were in attendance.
  • Primary Care Outreach Clinics: OWS provides patient care to 25 Bateys (rural settlements on sugarcane plantations that are home to Haitian and Haitian-Dominican migrant sugar cane workers). The FMCI delegation visited four of those communities to provide patient care in collaboration with OWS local physicians, community workers, a social worker, residents, and students who acted as translators. The team cared for 275 patients.   
  • Children’s Project supported by the Ruth Ostergaard Children’s Fund provided $6,500 to Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) for much needed medical equipment and medications for NPH’s Special Children’s Project as well as hosted an evening event with the children to participate in interactive games and empanadas.  

2023 Delegation Highlights

• Medical Education Workshop titled, “Why Family Medicine” in partnership with Universidad Central de Este, a medical school located in San Pedro de Macorís that graduates 350 medical students annually. Vice-President and FMCI consultant, Dr. Jay-Sheree Allen, collaborated with Dr. Lissette Santana, UCE Coordinator of Dr. Antonio Musa, Dr. Jaime Oliver Pino, and Dr. Ramón de Lara medical residencies. Speakers from both the US and the Dominican Republic discussed the history of FM as well as career options within the specialty with medical students in their final year of school.  Over 60 medical students attended.
• A One-Day Bi-directional Learning Diabetes Workshop for 75 residents was developed by Dr. Moazzum Bajwa at the request of Universidad Central de Este. It included fourteen cases developed for small groups to work through and then report back to the larger group with key points. 
• Primary Care Outreach Clinics: OWS provides patient care to 25 Bateys (rural settlements on sugarcane plantations that are home to Haitian and Haitian-Dominican migrant sugar cane workers). The FMCI delegation visited four of those communities to provide patient care in collaboration with OWS local physicians, community workers, a social worker, residents, and students who acted as translators. The team cared for 375 patients during our January delegation trip.  
• Home Follow-up Visits: Two delegates were chosen by lottery to shadow OWS physicians on home visits and saw 21 patients for follow-up care.  Each delegate provided a reflection paper highlighting their experiences.   
• Children’s Project supported by the Ruth Ostergaard Children’s Fund provided an estimated $ 5,451 in funding to Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) for much needed fans, washers, dryers, and refrigerators to replace aging equipment in the NPH homes that house approximately 130 children on the property. 

2022 Delegation Highlights

• 230 physicians, residents, students, and faculty participated in medical education events in collaboration with Universidad Central Del Este medical school.
• 399 patient visits in the Dominican Republic Batey sugar cane community clinics.
• 120 children of a local school received new school shoes, soccer balls, art and craft supplies, cloth drawstring bags for school supplies.

Video from the 2022 FMCI Delegation to the Dominican Republic

Medical Education Team

The Medical Education component provides resources and support for the development of family medicine through relationships with the medical schools and family medicine residency programs in the Dominican Republic.  In addition to supporting the development of family medicine, this program component provides continuing medical education for family physicians and general practice physicians.

A Medical Education Team is selected in advance and may prepare (depending on the need of our in-country partners) the following in-country activities:

• Develops and presents a one-day symposium for family medicine residents, physicians, and medical students. The symposium includes an overview of family medicine and specific medical topics as identified by in-country medical partners (residency programs and medical schools).
• Develops and participates in discussion roundtable and faculty development sessions with medical students, residents, or faculty.
• Meets with the medical schools to discuss future symposia, curriculum, and resource needs.

Patient Care Team

The Patient Care program component allows licensed physicians and residents (under physician supervision) to attend to or provide follow-up care to patients in the Batey community clinics in the Dominican Republic.

Service Team

The Service Team focuses on children and youth and seeks to improve the quality of life and the health of children and youth in the Dominican Republic. It also allows non-medical delegation members to participate in meaningful volunteer activities including:

• Delivering essential supplies and personal items for children in need.
• Providing special activities for children near the Batey communities.
• Assisting the physicians with registration, patient vitals, and pharmacy in the Batey outreach clinics.

Family Medicine Cares International Resident Scholarship

Funding is provided by the Dr. David and Karen Smith Humanitarian Fund.

The AAFP Foundation provides a scholarship for one family medicine resident or early career physician to be part of the Family Medicine Cares International annual delegation trip.

The scholarship covers the following:

• Travel to the Dominican Republic, including housing and food.
• Resident scholar/early career physician will give a presentation on the experience at the AAFP National Conference or other appropriate setting, and expenses will be covered as part of the travel scholarship.
• Maximum amount of travel scholarship is $5,000.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please click here to learn more about the requirements/criteria and FMCI delegation overview.

Volunteer in the Dominican Republic

The 2025 Delegation to the Dominican Republic is February 15-22. For information about volunteering for a one-week deployment, please review the FMCI Delegation Overview or email Family Medicine Cares International Staff.

• Please download and sign the Liability Release Indemnification Form and Conditions of Participation and upload both with your application.
• To register for the 2025 Delegation Trip, please click the Register Today button below.
• Registration Period: June 1-September 30, 2024.

Make a Donation

If you would like to be part of this rewarding work, please consider making a donation. Your donation makes a difference in the lives of those in need, at home and around the world.