KW
Kristen Whipple
  • physical therapy
  • Class of 2015
  • Milledgeville, Georgia

Kristen Whipple travels to Dominican Republic to provide physical therapy

2014 May 8

Kristen Whipple of Milledgeville and eight of her fellow students recently traveled to La Romana, the third-largest city in the Dominican Republic, during spring break to provide physical therapy to orphans and citizens living in poverty.

Providing students with service-learning and international opportunities that prepare them to become leaders in a global society are key components of UNG's mission, and students gained experience in both areas through the project in the Dominican Republic. All of the students are in UNG's Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

"We live in a global society and cross-cultural experiences like this will help students become more adept at dealing with patients from other cultures," Palmer said. "It also helps them to recognize and appreciate the variety of resources available in the United States to provide care to those in need."

The Dominican Republic has only 1.88 physicians and 1.7 hospital beds per 1,000 people, which is about half as many as in the United States according to the CIA World Factbook.

The Doctorate in Physical Therapy is UNG's first doctoral program and is offered on the university's Dahlonega Campus. There are 89 students in the program, which produces about 30 new practitioners annually for this growing healthcare field.