BUSDM Student Joins Faculty on Dominican Health and Outreach Program

BUSDM student John Fitzsimons DMD 10 joined Susan Cote, instructor in the Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research, as she returned to the rural mountains north of Santiago in late July for her ninth year providing preventive dental care such as oral health education, screenings, and fluoride varnishes to underserved residents in the Dominican Republic.

This is the first time a BUSDM student has joined Cote on the two-week excursion to a series of villages. "It is a rewarding experience for students to provide care to an underserved region in an alternative setting,” Cote says.

Fitzsimons served as an interpreter between English-speaking practitioners and Spanish-speaking patients. "I had the opportunity to see how oral health relates to overall systemic health," says Fitzsimons. "I learned firsthand the benefit of preventive care in a country where most people have little access to restorative care, nor the means to fund it."

The services Cote and her team provide are part of the Dominican Republic Health and Outreach Program, organized by the University of Southern Maine College of Nursing to provide medical care and education to residents in the country’s remote areas. Cote implemented the oral health portion of the program in 1998 while completing her master’s degree in Dental Public Health at BUSDM.

The program provides continuity of care by visiting the same 14 villages biannually, serving about 2,000 people. “One of the things that keeps me coming back is their sense of community,” Cote says.