The most significant obstacles that we face at the present moment are educating citizens of the DR about the merits of a state-run hearing program and leveraging community support to lobby the DR government to institute a hearing program as part of their national health policy. We will begin by developing and distributing pamphlets to DR residents. We will also distribute surveys to collect relevant data from patients that we can use to show the DR government that high quality hearing care improves a nation’s economy and – more importantly – the lives of its citizens. Additionally, we will setup a website to facilitate the various branches of the program and expand the outreach of our work. Meanwhile, our collaboration with the VA and the Rush audiology team will supply us with refurbished hearing aids that we can use to provide on-site care to children diagnosed with hearing loss.
As a part of our global health work, we have established a first-of-its-kind conference for ENT providers. The annual Rush Otolaryngology Global Health Symposium brings together clinicians, researchers, and students to discuss updates and key topics in the field. This conference promises to offer a new opportunity for the global otolaryngology community to engage, teach, and share best practices in regard to current research, relevant topics, effective strategies, and innovation with the goal of creating quality global OHNS healthcare and delivery. Ultimately, a conference designed to engage global participants at all levels will inevitably facilitate, foster, and build a network of medical providers that can effectively work and collaborate in the space of global otolaryngology.