Since 2011, IUSD has participated in immersive service-learning trips to Guatemala with Dr. Odette Aguirre, faculty member and alumna of dental school in Guatemala. Familiar with the native culture, language, customs, and geography, Dr. Aguirre is a valuable resource in helping students understand important social determinants of oral health in Guatemala and make meaningful comparisons between the US and Guatemalan oral health status. IUSD students have the opportunity to serve in Guatemala at different locations. Students have provided care at the Konojel Community Clinic in the remote San Marcos La Laguna, which is a center that provides children’s programs, sustainability instruction, and women’s training programs for at-risk individuals of the area. Alternatively, students have spent a week at a different location near Antigua Guatemala, treating patients at the Open Windows Foundation, one of the region’s largest children’s center that provides local students educational services and programs to improve their life options and self-sufficiency. Both trips are co-led by Dr. Aguirre and Dr. Maria Eugenia Castillo, adjunct IUSD faculty and an experienced local Guatemalan dentist and director of pediatric dentistry at Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala dental school. Along with learning different dental procedures, students gain unique insight into differences in dental education between the US and Guatemala. Along with treating patients, students also give presentations about the importance of oral hygiene and oral care to parents and staff at community centers. These trips emphasize the importance of collaboration in healthcare, which is achieved through performing procedures alongside local dentists and nurses. Cultural awareness is equally emphasized through educational excursions, close interaction with local villagers, and practice speaking Spanish.
