Project EAR in Los Alcarrizos, Dominican Republic
Dr. Dodson, president of Project EAR, has lead a team of otolaryngology physicians and residents twice annually to the Elias Santana Hospital in Los Alcarrizos, Dominican Republic. Here they work with local ENT physician Roberto Batista, MD in performing ear surgeries, cochlear implant surgeries, plastic surgeries, tonsillectomies and fitting and distributing hearing aids.
The Dominican Republic has fewer than 75 trained ENTs, and even fewer perform surgery. Dr. Dodson hopes to continue to educate local physicians, care for the local community and eventually build an outpatient clinic and surgery center.
Find out how you can get involved with Project Ear.
Collaborating with Children’s Surgery International in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Pediatric otolaryngologist, Dr. Jonathan Grischkan, based at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, has travelled to CIMA Hospital in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico with Children’s Surgery International (CSI). The mission was started and continues to be run in collaboration with the St. Andrews Clinic in Nogales, Arizona.
The team collaborates with a local orthodontist who coordinates dental and orthodontic care for the patients between their yearly visits. Here they perform surgeries consisting of un-repaired clefts of the lip and palate, secondary speech surgery, revision surgery, alveolar bone grafting and cleft rhinoplasty. The expectation is that the children who attend and are cared for in this clinic will receive similar quality care to a child who would attend a cleft clinic in the United States.
While trainees are not typically invited on the mission trip, there is a push for change in the future, allowing trainees both the experience of a surgical mission as well as exposure to an intensive, comprehensive cleft experience.
Residents volunteering in Guiamaca, Honduras
Otolaryngology residents and physicians from The Ohio State University, including Dr. Stephen Nogan and Dr. Nolan Seim, have been traveling to Guiamaca, Honduras to volunteer at the Bautista Mission Hospital. During one week trips, well over 150 ENT patients are seen and treated both clinically and surgically. Residents participate through TIME Global and the hospital is run year round by Baptist Medical and Dental Mission International (BMDMI) – both outside organizations.
The Bautista Mission Hospital is a well-equipped medical facility located in beautiful countryside of poverty-stricken Honduras. All aspects of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery are practiced and patients return for yearly follow-up visits.
Dr. Nogan and Dr. Seim plan to continue annual trips with more OSU residents and look forward to ongoing improvements of the clinical facilities.
Caring for pediatric patients in Managua, Nicaragua
Pediatric otolaryngologists Dr. Greg Wiet and Dr. Meredith Lind, based at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, have traveled to Hospital Lenin Fonseca in Managua, Nicaragua. Here they care for pediatric patients with operative ear, nose and throat diseases and complex airway problems. During their trip, they work with and help train local residents who receive minimal operative training. They plan to continue their mission in the coming years to support local efforts in bringing relief to those in need of ENT care.