Dr. Krishna Patel with Patient

International Opportunities

Dominican Republic

Twice a year, members of the MUSC Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery travel to the outskirts of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, on a surgical mission trip. The trips are run through Project EAR, Inc., a group originally organized by Dr. Paul Lambert and now directed by Dr. Ed Dodson, a neurotologist from Ohio State University. These missions are a collaborative effort with Dr. Roberto Batista, a Dominican otolaryngologist. Each trip lasts a little over one week during which the group operates on 60-80 impoverished patients with cholesteatoma, aural atresia, microtia, and a wide range of other problems. These trips have included surgeons, nurses, residents, and physician assistants from MUSC. In addition to performing surgery, mission surgeons work with Dominican otolaryngologists to improve local care for ear, nose, and throat diseases.