Two physicians in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are advancing an ambitious vision for global surgical outreach centered not only on direct patient care but on capacity building, mentorship, and long-term impact. Through sustained engagement in Kenya and the Dominican Republic, Matthew Old, MD, and Edward Dodson, MD, are strengthening local otolaryngology expertise and expanding access to high-quality ear, nose and throat care in underserved regions.
Advancing surgical training in Kenya
Dr. Old, professor and director of the Division of Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery, recently completed his third medical mission trip to Malindi, Kenya, a coastal city of 120,000 people. He joined a multidisciplinary team of approximately 30 medical professionals from across the United States. Each mission focuses on performing head and neck surgeries while helping Kenyan surgeons enhance their surgical proficiency.
“This year, we were able to take on more complex cases because the local ENT community is ready and eager to build on skills we taught them previously,” Dr. Old explains. “They now have the expertise to perform routine surgeries for thyroid disease, for example, so that we could focus more on advanced tumor resections and reconstruction techniques.”
During the two-week mission, the team treated roughly 200 adults and children. Patients traveled from across Kenya, including from Nairobi (nearly a 10-hour drive). “Doctors from across the country accompanied their patients to observe surgeries and learn from our team,” Dr. Old notes. “Now, those same specialists are developing a head and neck surgery fellowship at Kenyatta University in Nairobi based on what they’ve learned.”
Dr. Old and his colleagues plan to continue supporting the development of the new fellowship through educational materials, return visits, and virtual teaching sessions. “We’re really watching the specialty progress before our eyes,” he says.
A 30-year commitment in the Dominican Republic
A parallel commitment to sustainable care has shaped Dr. Dodson’s decades-long work in the Dominican Republic, where he has helped transform local training in ear surgery and expand access to otolaryngology services.
Dr. Dodson first traveled to the Dominican Republic in 1996 while completing his fellowship at the University of Virginia. Working with his mentor, Dr. Paul Lambert, he was part of a mission that provided surgical training at a small hospital outside Santo Domingo. One of the local physicians, Dr. Robert Batista, expressed a deep desire to learn otologic surgery to better serve his community. Their partnership has since become the foundation of a longstanding collaboration that has significantly advanced ENT care throughout the country.
Today, the Dominican Republic has three ENT residency programs, up from one in the 1990s, graduating at least six specialists each year. Dr. Dodson has developed close working relationships with all three programs and has personally helped train 39 residents to date.
In 2000, he founded Project EAR, a nonprofit organization that supports mission work through donated supplies and funding for travel. Dr. Dodson typically visits the Dominican Republic two or three times per year. One trip is dedicated solely to teaching medical students and residents, while the others focus on clinical care and surgical training. These trips bring together teams of anesthesiologists, ENT residents and fellows, nurses, surgical technologists and other volunteers from Ohio State and partner institutions. During each one-week visit, they perform 25 to 30 major ear procedures.
“It’s so gratifying to see the specialty grow over the years and see the good work surgeons are doing in the Dominican Republic,” Dr. Dodson reflects. “The quality of training continues to improve, and the faculty members are very dedicated to moving ENT practice forward.”
Inspiring the next generation
Both physicians note that global outreach has an important secondary effect: inspiring future surgeons. “When we’re recruiting medical students to our residency program, all we have to do is mention these trips and applicants immediately want to know more,” Dr. Dodson says. “It’s a real point of connection. There just aren’t many training programs that offer experiences like this.”
“I am deeply proud of the sustained global outreach led by Dr. Old and Dr. Dodson. Their commitment to building local expertise, elevating surgical training and improving access to high-quality care exemplifies the highest values of our department” says Chair Dr. Rocco. “These important efforts not only transform the lives of patients abroad but also enrich the education of our trainees and strengthen the global footprint of our specialty. Their work demonstrates the profound impact that long-term partnerships and shared learning can achieve in advancing otolaryngology worldwide.”