What happens when dozens of future physicians, guided by faculty and local partners, come together with one goal—to make healthcare accessible for all? The answer unfolded in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where a VCOM team spent a week providing care, connection, and hope to hundreds of underserved residents.
The team included 40 second-year medical students from the Virginia and Carolinas campuses, several upper-level students from other VCOM campuses, six U.S. physicians, four Dominican physicians, a pharmacist, five staff members, and one volunteer.
The group provided care to residents in five underserved villages and at two clinics: the Veron Clinic and the Oscar de la Renta Pediatric Clinic. In total, the team served more than 650 patients, including a large Haitian population, and filled over 1,500 prescriptions. Clinical activities ranged from family medicine and pediatrics to obstetrics and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM).
The outreach was coordinated through VCOM’s ongoing partnership with the Punta Cana Foundation, which managed local logistics and interpretation services. Medicines not used during the trip were donated to the Oscar de la Renta Clinic to support ongoing care for area residents. Ensuring sustainable and ongoing care for communities is a key part of VCOM’s international outreach efforts.
For the students, the trip provided both hands-on clinical training and a deeper sense of purpose. Alyssa Levien '28 described it as “one of the most humbling and transformative experiences of my life.” She said the patients’ resilience and gratitude “reminded me that medicine extends beyond medications and procedures, and how powerful it is just to be present, listen, and help in whatever way you can.” The experience, she added, strengthened her commitment to serving vulnerable populations and reinforced her belief that “healing is a shared journey.”
O’Neil Best ‘28, found the trip reaffirmed her commitment to pediatrics. After caring for a young boy during a clinic visit, she was struck by the mother’s gratitude for what seemed like a routine checkup. “It made me realize how much of an impact we can have, even through small acts,” she said, reflecting on the difference basic healthcare can make in underserved communities.
For Maile Carroll'28, one patient encounter underscored the human connection behind medicine. After treating a woman suffering from sciatica and diabetes, Carroll recalled, “When her visit was complete, she began to cry and gave me a heartfelt hug. That moment reminded me why I wanted to become a doctor in the first place—to help, to heal, and to connect.”
International outreach remains a cornerstone of VCOM’s mission to prepare globally minded, community-focused physicians who serve rural and medically underserved populations at home and abroad.
