On November 7, 2019 the Universidad Central del Este (UCE) hosted a delegation from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at their campus in San Pedro de Macorís to inaugurate the the UCE-UTMB Collaborative Laboratory for Investigation of Emerging Diseases (Laboratorio Colaborativo de Investigación en Enfermedades Emergentes UCE-UTMB). This is a key milestone in the Institute’s long-running collaboration with UCE with the goal of increasing research capabilities and health outcomes in the Dominican Republic (DR). The newly inaugurated Collaborative Laboratory–a fully equipped biosafety level 2 laboratory–aims to develop research capacity in emerging infectious diseases, including vector-borne pathogens. It is the only facility outside of the country’s capitol that is capable of performing real-time PCR for genetic amplification on diagnostic specimens.
Following the inauguration, the UTMB team, including Drs. Matthew and Clifford Dacso, and Kara McArthur, participated in a scientific symposium focused on emerging infectious diseases in the tropics, and on research programs directed at improving community health in the eastern region of the DR. The conference sessions featured presentations by regional healthcare and academic institutions, the Ministry of Public Health, and the DR office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dominican investigators also presented ongoing collaborative research with US institutions such as the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP), Columbia University, and the Harvard School of Public Health. Representatives from The Institute contributed to the conference by speaking on the benefits of creating a local non-governmental organization to help share the power between foreign universities and local scientists.
