Introduction / Rationale: DePaul University partnered with the Catholic University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to enhance educational experiences for both Dominican and U.S.-based students and faculty. In collaboration with the Dominican OT Association, a Dominican OT shared her efforts to expand OT services in the country’s only major pediatric burn unit. In response, OT students developed culturally relevant educational modules to support her efforts.
Objectives: Describe the social determinants of health that contribute to the unique distribution of burns among children in the Dominican Republic. Describe how OT students were able to support OT’s roles in burn care in the Dominican Republic. Describe an asset-based approach to international partnerships.
Methods / Approach: To support Dominican occupational therapists working in burn units, U.S.-based OT students developed and adapted three educational modules to enhance OT roles in burn care. Additionally, students created educational handouts for parents of children in the burn unit, carefully considering the health literacy levels of the families receiving services. Results / Practice Implications: Through this collaboration, the OT program at Catholic University has content to educate students on the role of occupational therapists in burn care. Additionally, parents of children in the burn unit may feel empowered to return to their communities and advocate for burn awareness and prevention. Finally, students understand how culture, socioeconomics, and health literacy influence the interventions and education provided by OTs.
Conclusion / Contribution to the occupational therapy profession: Intentional and strategic collaborations between educational programs create unique benefits for all partners involved. Leveraging each partner’s strengths, experiences, and knowledge, these partnerships enable the development of projects that would not be possible otherwise.