NEW YORK. – Key faculty in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) at Indiana University Bloomington met on Thursday, June 4th with representatives of the Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) to discuss how they will can together to boost public health resources in communities in the Dominican Republic.

BRA’s CEO Ulrick Gaillard and Board President Miguel A. Puente H attended the meeting to map out the humanitarian work of the organization through a strategic planning process involving various community, business, private and non-profit groups, including the Indianapolis-based Timmy Foundation. Preceding the meeting, Gaillard gave a lecture on the history and work of his organization in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Gaillard acknowledged that the BRA and the HPER recently signed a letter of agreement forming a partnership to work toward building a network of volunteers, faculty and students to conduct research and perform public health and medical services in impoverished areas of the country, specifically in the bateyes in the region of Monte Plata and other underserved areas, such as communities located near the Haitian border.

In mid-June, Professor Zobeida Bonilla, who is leading the program, will travel to the Dominican Republic with seven students and five other faculty members to begin several important aspects of their work with BRA. Bonilla described this as the “beginning of the beginning,” and expects the work to result in long-range multidisciplinary research projects.

“It’s an opportunity for faculty to conduct action-based research,” said Robert M. Goodman, dean of the School of HPER. “Students can get cross-cultural field lab experience while working on significant public health issues related to poverty.”