Fourth-year Tulane University medical students now may select an eight-week community medicine rotation in the Dominican Republic. The new elective was established recently when medical school dean Ian Taylor visited Santiago to sign an agreement with Priamo Rodriguez-Castillo, chancellor of the Universidad Tecnologica de Santiago. The medical students who choose the elective in the Dominican Republic will receive first-hand experience with patient care and tropical diseases in a developing country by rotating through the Universidad Tecnologica de Santiago and the Instituto Oncologico Regional del Cibao. UTESA has 12 campuses & two medical schools in the Dominican Republic with over 40,000 students.

Univ. Tecn. de Santiago (UTESA)

Av. Estrella Sadhalá/Av. Mirador del Yaque. Apartado Postal 685, Santiago de los caballeros. Republica Dominicana.

Contact Information: At Tulane contact C. Fermin, PhD cfermin@tulane.edu, (1-504-988-5224) Minerva Calderon, MA, <Utesa@codetel.net.do> UTESA Phone: 1-809-582-7156 ext 259
jtavares@utesa.edu
Fax: 1-809-582-7644
http://www.utesa.edu
Preceptor: Argelia Aybar, MD, argelia@codetel.net.do

Setting
Type of institution: Private University
Setting of main facility: Second largest City & affiliated hospitals in the border with Haiti. Above TUHSC School of Medicine dean Taylor listens to a resident in Gastroenterology presenting round case during his visit to the Cabral y Baez Hospital.
Comments on setting: Students will work closely with Dr. Aybar, who is bilingual, has his own practice and trains residents for UTESA and other local Universities
Duration of elective (min.) 2 months

Local Costs
Tuition or Fees: None. UTESA wishes for this to be a success and will try all possible to make candidates feel at home.
Housing Costs: Approx. US1200/month, but variable according to needs
Housing Availability: Local families (cheaper) & commercial
Comments on Housing: Strong touristic industry with high demand for housing
Local Travel Costs: variable

Miscellaneous
Primary Language: Spanish
Secondary Language: English & French
Level of Proficiency: Fluency in Spanish is required
Institution Partner(s): Regional adult and children hospitals & the Instituto Oncologico Regional del Cibao whose facutly is pictured here. The IORC is located a few miles away from the UTESA main campus.

Additional Comments:
The rotation was designed with student maximum exposure to patients at training centers that UTESA uses locally and in other provinces as follows: Week One: Arrival, housing, matriculation and introduction to program. Week Two. Rotation through Regional Pediatric University Hospital with Dr. Arturo Grullón. Week three. Rotation through Regional General University Hospital Jose Maria Cabral y Baez (including two evening ER services). Week Four. Rotation through Regional General University Hospital Jose Maria Cabral y Baez (including two evening ER services). Week Five. Rotation through IORC including Chemotherapy & Pediatric Oncology. Week Sixth. Rotation through IORC including. Week Seventh. Tropical Medicine Rotation at UTESA. Week Eighth. Rotation Credits from UTESA. Completion ceremony and award of certificate & extended weekend trips to participating national and sister institutions and excursions.

Regional Arturo Grullon Children Hosptial, Cabral y Baez & Instituto Oncologico Regional del Cibao.

The Arturo Grullon children hospital and the nearby Hospital Regional Universitario Cabral y Baez (below) are large public hospitals where medical students perform their clerkships and resident training. Dr. Aybar (preceptor) is a member of both hospitals, and in addition to the Instituto Oncologico Regional del Cibao or IORC & other institutions. The IORC has for over 40 years served the need of the indigeneous population and concentrates its efforts on the treatment of terminally ill cancer patients.

Setting:
Both hospitals are public and located within 5 miles from the main UTESA campus in Santiago. Both hospitasl and the IORC serve as training centers for the local university graduates. In addition, UTESA offers services at the border with Haiti and in local clinics.

Currency value:
The Dominican currency is the Peso, which as of Feb 2005 exchanges 1:30 to the dollar. Exchange rates and candidate preference will influence total cost for the rotation. Every effort will be made to find family sponsors able to save on costs. There are direct daily flights from NY, Miami and other cities to Santiago (approx. 3 hours duration).

Miscellaneous:
The Dominican Republic has been a French and a Spanich colony and has an interesting cuisine style that incorporates tasty treats made from local vegetable, roots and fruits. English and French are requisite in high school and most people understand enough to communicate. The governance of the country is based on a senate and a congress and the president is elected by a majority of votes, yielding one of the most stable democracies of the region.

Additional Comments:

The Domonican Republic is the seed of the western civilization. A 52 page booklet detailing the rich history and heritage of the Dominican Republic from the discovery of the Hispaniola to the present democratically elected president is available upon request.