Formula for Life

05/29/2026

No matter where you go, some things are always the same.
After a full day of patients, Dr. Weil rounded up the neighborhood kids and got a very exciting game of kickball going. It started with a 'school yard' pick for teams, selecting a team captain, and then the fun began. Everyone had a blast!

05/26/2026

Thank you Brotherhood Mutual for supporting USF students on their trip to the Dominican Republic. We are encouraged to continue when we have such great community support!

05/23/2026

Our nutrition team is led by Dr. Heller and our busiest sites are Manyaya and Rosa la Piedra. Building Bridges of Hope has Plumpy Nut (a therapeutic peanut butter nutrient paste), vitamins, and rice available for distribution. In our 4 days, the nutrition clinic saw 300 children (under age 6). Each child was weighed and height was measured to determine placement on a growth chart. Fluoride was applied to the older children's teeth. If a child was determine to be severely malnourished, BBOH consulted with the parents. If the parents agreed, the child would be taken down the mountain to the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity. The child would remain there until nutritionally stable. Several children were determined to be severely malnourished, but only 6 families gave consent for their child to go to the Missionaries of Charity.

05/20/2026

Our veterinary team is always amazing! The team consisted of Dr. Paula Johnson, Dr. Olivia Obringer (USF alumna -spay/neuters), Dr. Chelsea Bandy (large animal), and vet student Tianah (USF alumna). They provided care to 476 animals!!! and performed 26 surgeries. Cats, dogs, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, cows, bulls all lined up. They drew blood and did f***l swabs to test for intestinal parasites and tickborne diseases. If positive, the animal was given the appropriate medication. A few animals had wounds that were addressed, infections that needed treatment, and one dog showed up with very large tumors on its neck. Anti-helminth medications were given to control intestinal worms and the animals were vaccinated. They worked very hard!

05/19/2026

Today's post is about our fantastic medical providers - both Lizzie (PA) and Dr. James are USF alumni. Both travelled to Haiti when they were undergraduates at USF and now that they are healthcare professionals they continue to give back. This is Lizzie's second trip to the DR and Nate's third trip. Lizzie specializes in pediatrics; Nate is an ER physician. It is such a joy to be around both of them. They are great educators, funny, and have huge hearts. In just 4 days, Lizzie and Dr. James provided medical care to 174 people ranging in age from a few months old to over 90 years old.

05/18/2026

Today I want to tell you about our DENTAL team. This is the first trip to the DR that included a dentist. Fortunately the group we work with had a lot of the basic dental instruments that we needed. The dental team consisted of Dr. Blake Weil (USF alumnus) and pre-dental student, Audrie. They were a dynamic team! They worked under very hot conditions - oftentimes out in the open under a canopy. In just 4 days, they cared for 175 patients and extracted 75 teeth. Dental care and preventative education is very much needed in these regions. Pre-dental student, Audrie, did amazing at making sure that Dr. Weil had everything he would need and working out a system to sterilize the instruments between patients. Thank you, Dr. Weil, for being a fantastic teacher and for your enthusiasm!

05/17/2026

THANK YOU to everyone who supported Formula for Life! We had a fantastic trip and I will post pictures and stories over the next several days. We made a huge impact and couldn't have done it without your support: participation in the 5K as a runner/walker, donating a silent auction item, sponsoring, and volunteering.

04/30/2026

04/29/2026

First males to cross finish line