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

• A volunteer one-week annual delegation to the Dominican Republic, February 7-14, 2026.
• A Resident scholarship to join the annual delegation, all expenses paid. Funding provided by Dr. David and Karen Smith Humanitarian Fund. 
• Please read the Program Overview for delegate and scholarship applicants. 
• For more information about the activities during the delegation, review an example of the schedule.

Principals

• Foster mutual partnerships with bidirectional input and learning.
• Empower host countries and communities to define needs and guide activities.
• Prioritize sustainability and long-term capacity building.
• Adhere to all applicable laws, ethical standards, and codes of conduct.
• Demonstrate humility, cultural sensitivity, and respect for all stakeholders.
• Maintain accountability for all actions and outcomes.

Annual Delegation

February 7-14, 2026

The annual delegation cohort 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 and others on delivering medical education and training.

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.

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 outreach Batey community clinics and the on-site primary care clinic in the Dominican Republic.

Service Team

The non-clinical team provides an opportunity for non-medical delegation members to participate in meaningful volunteer activities such as:

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

Video from the 2022 FMCI Delegation to the Dominican Republic

2025 Delegation Highlights

The third FMCI delegation took place from February 15-22, 2025, with 25 participants (including 2 residents). See overview.

Scholarships awarded: The David and Karen Smith Foundation FMCI Resident Scholarship was awarded to PGY2 resident, Shaneen Whyte, MD, MS, of Broward Health Family Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Medical Education Activities: Three medical education events took place on February 18 and 19, 2025.

1) Student Panel Discussion: On the morning of February 18, a panel discussion with 32, fourth- and fifth-year year medical students titled, “Why Family Medicine?” took place in partnership with Universidad Central de Este (UCE), a medical school located in San Pedro de Macorís that graduates 350 medical students annually. FMCI consultants, Drs. Moazzum Bajwa and Odi Anyanwu 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 delegate residents Shaneen Whyte, MD, and Samantha Patella, MD, and consultants Ryan Thompson and Neubert Philippe. Also joining the panel were Family Medicine residents from local FMRP residencies. All shared their journeys in family medicine and discussed with the students’ career options within the specialty. Ninety-one percent (91%) of the students indicated they were encouraged to consider specializing in Family Medicine.  A few examples of what the students enjoyed about the session were:

– Learning about how family medicine is practiced in other countries.

– Sharing personal experiences as a family physician.

– Family physicians see patients as a person and not just a disease.

2) Resident Workshop: In the afternoon of February 18, a resident bi-directional learning workshop on Neurological Conditions in Primary Care took place. The student panel discussion was followed by small group breakout sessions with 27 residents. Specific clinical questions related to one of two case studies were discussed within the groups. Overall satisfaction with the workshop was high, averaging 4.8 to 4.9 out of 5.0. The residents felt teamwork, the sharing of knowledge, and the opportunity to talk and share their point of view on clinical cases was the most effective component of their learning sessions. The most frequent comment about the least effective component of their learning sessions was the limited time to fully discuss the cases and share their opinions.

3) Medical education symposium: In collaboration with UCE took place the following day on February 19, 2025. The focus was on Neurological Conditions in Primary Care. This was identified as a priority topic following discussions with Dr. Santana of the Family and Community Medicine Department of UCE. Four presentations were delivered:

1) Stroke Identification and Etiologies

2) Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s in Family Medicine

3) Neurological Diseases in First Level Care.

4) Dementia: Diagnosis and follow-up in primary care.

Two of the presentations were prepared by physicians in the Dominican Republic and delivered with Spanish and English interpretations. In attendance were 155 registrants comprised of local physicians, residents, OWS staff, and FMCI delegates. Of the 155 attendees, 103 (66%) provided evaluation feedback. Of those, 89% indicated that they thought the symposium was relevant and important to their clinical practices. The top five areas of interest/exploration for future symposiums were: diabetes, Alzheimer’s/dementia, hypertension, pediatrics, gastroenterology and mental health. 

Patient Care: OWS provides patient care to 25 Bateys (rural settlements on sugarcane plantations that are home to Haitian and Haitian Dominican migrant sugar cane workers). During the trip, the FMCI delegation provided care in the new OWS clinic on site and visited four Batey communities to provide care to a total of 357 patients in collaboration with OWS local physicians, community workers, social workers, residents, and students who acted as translators.  

Children’s Activity (Non-clinical activity): supported by the Ruth Ostergaard Children’s Fund provided $5,000 to Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) for much needed medical equipment and medications for NPH’s Special Children’s Project as well as hosted an event of coloring and ice cream with the children.

2024 Delegation Highlights

• The third FMCI delegation took place February 10 - 17, 2024 with 17 participants (including 5 residents). 
  • To view highlights and learn more, 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.  
  
  
• 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.

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 to be part of the Family Medicine Cares International annual delegation cohort, February 7-14, 2026.

The scholarship covers the following:

• Travel to the Dominican Republic, including housing and food.
• Resident Scholar will give a presentation on the experience at AAFP FUTURE (formerly 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.

The application is open from June 1 to August 31, 2025.

Learn more about the application process.

Volunteer in the Dominican Republic

For information about volunteering for a one-week deployment, please review the FMCI Delegation Overview and the FMCI Travel Handbook, or email FMCI staff.

• Please download and sign the Liability Release Indemnification Form and Conditions of Participation and upload both with your application.
• Registration period: June 1–August 31, 2025.

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.