Spring Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic Inspires University Hospitals Health Services Research Center Summer Scholar Alumna, Reaffirms the Potential Impact of Population Health and Implementation Science Initiatives

UH Research & Education Update

Kate Bollinger, a scholar in the first cohort of the Health Services Research Center (HSRC) Summer Scholar Research Program and creator of the 2024 Summer Scholar e-book, enjoyed a mind-expanding Spring Break 2025.

The sophomore biochemistry major at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania was among 36 premed and predental students who traveled to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip to serve and share goodwill with a community located in La Romana, a small city in the southeastern part of the Caribbean Island nation. The trip also shed light on health disparities and lack of health services in a community with limited medical resources.

The mission was sponsored by William A. DiCuccio II, MD, a retired family physician from Butler, Pennsylvania, and a Saint Vincent alumnus, who after several near-death experiences has dedicated his life to helping residents in La Romana and the nearby municipality of Villa Hermosa. It was on a trip to the Dominican Republic several years ago that he and his wife encountered a community of impoverished families and children. This prompted him to sell his medical practice and use the resulting profit to build a school and a church in Villa Hermosa. For Dr. DiCuccio, this was a way for him to live and share his faith by helping others, particularly children.

Dr. DiCuccio has subsequently invited many Saint Vincent students who are preparing for future healthcare careers to serve on mission trips to Villa Hermosa. Kate first learned about the opportunity to serve in the Dominican Republic last January and was quickly inspired to join the mission and make a difference. “I was so moved by Dr. DiCuccio’s story, and motivated by my passion for making kids laugh and smile, I knew I had to be part of this experience,” says Kate.

The mission group arrived in Santo Domingo, the country’s capital, on March 1 and met leaders from the World Servants Organization upon their arrival. The group stayed in a missionary bunkhouse in La Romana and commuted to the school and church in Villa Hermosa.

A Trip Full of Life-Enhancing Professional and Personal Lessons Rooted in Service and Humanity

The resulting seven-day mission was an immersive experience in language, culture, and community, with sobering insights into the needs and poverty within the community but was equally inspiring for the many personal and goodwill interactions it cultivated. During the trip, predental students had the opportunity to provide teeth cleanings alongside a team of dentists from Pennsylvania, who joined the mission and sponsored dental-equipped recreational vehicles to offer dental care to the entire community. The group also toured private and public hospitals in La Romana, where the few beds and scant equipment she saw contrast sharply with the level of healthcare services accustomed in the United States.

Kate Bollinger is in her element turning a patch of pavement into a classroom full of curiosity, and connection.

For Kate, the trip to the Dominican Republic exemplified and magnified what she learned as an HSRC Scholar last summer, driving home real-world examples of health disparities, including lack of clean water, and illustrating the concepts of spatial epidemiology, the study of how certain diseases or health trends can be linked to the environment. For instance, in the Dominican Republic, Kate learned that most of the hospitalizations at the facilities she visited were due to motorcycle accidents.

It made sense. She saw that motorcycles were everywhere in La Romana and seemingly the most affordable mode of transportation for many families. A mission leader explained that it was not uncommon for a family to accommodate up to seven people on the back of a motorcycle, even squishing babies in between other family members.

Throughout the trip, Kate met countless amazing and happy children with whom the group shared joy, hugs and kindness, made and flew paper airplanes, and delivered small gift bags, all of which made for an incredibly gratifying experience. The college students taught the school children they met English, while practicing their limited Spanish, bonding over jump roping, limbo, Latin dancing, and the excitement of new friendships.

“One thing I thought about often was you don’t realize how much you have until you see what others don’t,” says Kate. “Even when these kids have very little, they smiled through it all and radiated joy and laughter.” Despite the language barrier, Kate says she was able to hold basic conversations and connect with the children in a meaningful and memorable manner. 

A Life-Changing Experience

In all, the mission trip to La Romana and Villa Hermosa, Dominican Republic, was an enlightening experience that highlighted the power of faith, community, and goodwill. It demonstrated how every person has the capacity to share their talents and kindness to make a difference, especially in poor, underserved communities that struggle with lack of resources and infrastructure, including limited access to basic healthcare services, education, and scarce food and potable water.

Going on the mission trip affirmed Kate’s desire to pursue a career in medicine with a focus on helping children and afforded a powerfully illuminating experience that will shape and inform her studies and training moving forward.

“I gained more insight and confirmation that I want to work in pediatrics and see the youthful pure smiles that kids happily share with us every day,” says Kate. The experience also fueled her desire to serve on other mission trips in the future. “I am forever grateful for this opportunity to serve, learn and grow.”

Samudragupta Bora, PhD, Founding Director of HSRC, proudly states, “experiences like Kate's highlight the true purpose of our 6-week mentored summer scholar program. It's extremely rewarding to be able to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals and help them see the world of healthcare through a broader lens.”