Faculty, residents and alumni provide lifesaving care in the Dominican Republic

The group of volunteers provided essential medical care to underserved populations on the island.

By Lindsay Hughes

During a weeklong mission in La Romana, Dominican Republic, faculty, residents and alumni from the Whiddon College of Medicine joined colleagues from across North America to deliver essential medical care to some of the region’s most vulnerable populations. 

The group, Cross Cultural Medicine on Hispaniola (CCMH), worked side-by-side in farming villages and correctional facilities, bringing critical medical services to individuals who rarely, if ever, have access to healthcare.

Tosin Oladunjoye, M.D.; Grace Lagasse, M.D.; and

Jashen Bailey, D.O.

CCMH is a multidisciplinary, international coalition dedicated to caring for underserved populations on the island. Their longstanding mission focuses on providing care for Haitian sugar cane workers living in remote settlements known as bateys, as well as individuals in local jails and prisons. For many patients, the clinics provided by CCMH represent their only opportunity to receive medical attention.

Over the course of the week, the team treated approximately 1,200 patients through mobile clinics in the bateys and onsite care inside correctional facilities. They managed a wide spectrum of acute and chronic conditions and provided essential dental services, including extractions. Each encounter reflected the mission’s commitment to compassionate, reliable care.

Grace Lagasse, M.D., an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Whiddon COM, was among the participants this year. She emphasized the importance of reaching communities that are otherwise excluded from basic services. “By continuing these batey clinics, which now expand beyond bateys to reach even more Haitians living in the eastern Dominican Republic,” she said, “basic medical care will continue to be delivered to this highly at-risk population, who is otherwise denied access to quality care.” 

Residents also played a key role in the effort. Second-year emergency medicine residents Tosin Oladunjoye, M.D., and Jashen Bailey, D.O., joined the mission to help staff clinics and provide direct patient care.

Patrick Nolan, M.D.

“I had an unforgettable experience on the medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic,” Oladunjoye said. “Providing health care for individuals in the rural bateys, underserved communities and local prisons deepened my purpose as a physician. I am grateful for every moment of compassion, connection and healing.”

“This trip was one of the best experiences I’ve had in residency,” Bailey said. “I spent the week alongside physicians from multiple specialties; each bringing unique experiences and years of wisdom to serve and encourage others. Together, we cared for patients who continually expressed their gratitude simply for being seen, heard, and cared for. I hope I can be a part of this trip again in the future.” 

Several Whiddon College of Medicine alumni from the Class of 1981 contributed their expertise as well, including general surgeon Robert Chagrasulis, M.D., who helped organize the trip; infectious disease physician Patrick Nolan, M.D.; interventional radiologist Kyran Dowling, M.D.; and obstetrician-gynecologist Thomas Miller, M.D. Internal medicine physicians Alan Shain, M.D., who completed his residency at USA Health, and Desiree Soter-Pearsall, M.D., a former faculty member, also volunteered.

CCMH’s service effort began in the late 1990s and has been sustained by volunteers ever since, with only a brief pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whiddon COM faculty began participating in 2022, and residents joined the mission in 2024, strengthening a partnership that continues to expand its reach and impact across Hispaniola.