An Overview of the Rhode Island Hospital-Cabral y Baez Medical Exchange Program

In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of global health programs directed by academic institutions. Global health programs take many forms, focusing on different curricular goals such as knowledge attainment of endemic diseases, community service projects, and improved foreign-language skills. This is an expository paper describing the origins and evolution of the medical exchange program between Rhode Island Hospital and Hospital Regional Universitario José María Cabral y Báez. The exchange program is unique because it is trainee-driven and has strived to maintain a bilateral educational exchange over the past 15 years. Future goals for the program include further developing a research curriculum for both institutions and creating a longitudinal relationship with a community-based state-funded clinic in Santiago, Dominican Republic.