The DR project was initiated in 2004 as an exchange program between faculty and trainees from the Dominican Republic and UIC. Each year, faculty members, housestaff and medical students from UIC travel down to the DR for a week long program of educational activities and hospital rounds at the largest teaching hospital in the country.

The objectives of this program are:

• to expose UIC trainees to the practice of medicine in a developing country and provide them with clinical experience in tropical medicine.
• to provide an opportunity for UIC students to learn more about Latin American culture and medical practices, which will enhance their understanding and sensitivity when caring for patients of Hispanic origin in the United States.
• to facilitate and promote collaborative research relationships and projects with Dominican physicians on a variety of topics, especially in the areas of tropical infectious diseases, tuberculosis and HIV disease.
• to promote the exchange of scientific ideas between medical professionals in two nations with vastly different health care systems.
• to contribute with the training of Dominican students and housestaff.

As a result of this program, cooperation agreements have been signed with the following institutions of higher education and teaching hospitals in the country:

• INTEC University
• UNIBE University
• Hospital Salvador B. Gautier
• Hospital Plaza de La Salud
• Instituto Dermatológico Dominicano

Thanks to those agreements and our wonderful working relationship there is an active exchange of trainees year round between UIC and Dominican hospitals and Universities. In addition, in 2005, we launched the "International Conference in Internal Medicine" attended by more than 500 physicians in the DR with the participation of renowned speakers from the US and the Dominican Republic. This conference will be held biannually in Santo Domingo, the next one scheduled for the fall 2007.

For faculty, residents and fellows from the DR interested in pursuing clinical rotations at UIC

Please submit the following documents:

1. Complete CV
2. USMLE scores ( if applicable)
3. A one page letter stating :
   • Your learning objectives during the rotation
   • The time of the year you would like to come
   • The Departments you would like to rotate through

Please send all documents to:

Triana Ward
Project Coordinator
triana@uic.edu

For UIC students interested in clinical rotations in the DR

Contact Triana Ward at triana@uic.edu

For Dominican students interested in clinical rotations at UIC

Please contact Ms. Monica Mason ( mmason@uic.edu ) at the office of student affairs for instructions and a link to application materials. Please copy Ms. Triana Ward ( Triana@uic.edu ) on that initial email.

Past trips:

• 2006
• 2005
• 2004