Ultrasound Course with UWI-Cave Hill, Barbados Department of Emergency Medicine

Dr. Schiller has been working with Core Faculty from the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of West Indies Cave Hill Campus (https://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/fms/) over the last year to foster educational programming to support local clinical care.  This came to fruition on March 23-24th, when he facilitated an Emergency Ultrasound Course to Emergency Medicine residents at UWI-Cave Hill.  The course was presented by teaching faculty from the Division of Ultrasound at Maimonides Medical Center’s Department of Emergency Medicine, spearheaded by Dr. Irina Sanjaveen-Cabeza and featuring recognized lecturers in Emergency Ultrasound. This marks the opening seminar in a series that will include a simulation course in Fall, 2026 that will augment UWI resident skills, as well as a parallel course to train the trainers, thereby laying the groundwork for independent simulation practice.  

IMR is thrilled to assist in building capacity for Emergency Medicine practice in Barbados, as well as opening channels of communication in real-time to support ongoing competency in critical skills going forward.  

Hurricane Melissa recovery in Jamaica

In October 2025, Hurricane Melissa, a category 5 hurricane, landed on the western shore of Jamaica and caused vast destruction of flora, fauna, homes, and infrastructure. Hurricane Melissa knocked out power, water, and health infrastructures in many parts of the island such as Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth parishes. These areas were severely damaged with all health centers and hospitals destroyed. This month, our team of doctors- Josh, Amy, and Ambereen, worked in partnership with Breaking Healthcare Barriers (BHB) and the Ministry of Health in such hurricane-damaged areas. Each day, a clinic and pharmacy  was set up in remote areas that suffered the most from he storms, including the towns of Williamsfield, Parottee and Grange. We worked with local healthcare workers and BHB volunteers to see over 150 patients, fill prescriptions, treat ailments and provide counseling.

The local hospital in Black River was destroyed and plans are being made to rebuild. Until then, we hope to return as needed and continue to support these communities.

#bestcareeverywhere

IMR begins partnership in the Barbados

IMR fostered an agreement last week with the University of West Indies (UWI) Campus in Cave Hill, Barbados to provide training in Ultrasound and Simulation for the Department of Accident and Emergency Medicine (A&E).  Hosted by Drs. Lynn-Marie Lovell and Reginald King, IMR brought a team of Emergency Medicine physicians from the US to discuss the institution of parallel training programs starting in the Spring, 2026 on an on-going basis. 

UWI—Cave Hill’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital provides the only tertiary care on the island, serving a catchment population of approximately 300,000 patients.  IMR will support UWI’s A&E residents and faculty training, as well as senior medical student clinical education.  We are excited to expand UWI’s teaching capacity, and look forward to working with our partners in Barbados into the future!

Vieques in October

We’ve just returned from a trip to Vieques last month,  a community that’s near and dear to our IMR family. IMR has had the pleasure and privilege to support and volunteer here since Hurricane Maria in 2017. This recent trip was a small team of Ambereen and Liz Santaniello, NP, a cherished IMR volunteer and family. We conducted home visits to vulnerable populations in Esperanza, the southern part of the island, carrying on a practice that we started a few years ago. We donated medical supplies to individuals and to community organizers. These included glucometers, testing strips, lancets and other diabetic supplies, wound care items as well as other items that have been identified as necessities for the residents. Solar lights and powerful flashlights were also handed out on our home visits. Thank you to everyone who  supported our trip. We were given an update on the healthcare facility/hospital that’s currently under construction, as all are eagerly waiting it’s opening so that the residents of Vieques can get the healthcare that they’re entitled to and deserve. We’re planning a return this spring to continue our project.

Thanks so much for your ongoing support and please contact us if you’d like more information.

Return to Vieques

IMR has had the privilege to work with the community in Puerto Rico,  specifically the island of Vieques, since 2017. In the aftermath of hurricane Maria, the medical needs of the community are vast. We are thankful we’ve been able to play a small role in supporting vulnerable communities. Our last time in Vieques was in 2021 and we’re looking forward to returning in a few weeks. As everyone on the island is eagerly awaiting a new hospital to replace the one damaged after Maria, home visits and focused care for the vulnerable is more vital than ever. The population of Vieques has specific health and and psychosocial needs that are, in part, unmet.

We’re thankful to be able to play a role in partnering with community organizations to help support homebound, elderly, and vulnerable community. Our team for our upcoming trip has volunteers Liz O.  and Ana A.  as well as our ED Ambereen. We look forward to spending the week with home visits, assessments and health education outreach for several communities. We’d love to have the ability to provide plenty of medical supplies and equipment. Please consider a donation at this link!

Thank you so much and can’t wait to share our experience when we return.

Thanks as always,

Ambereen 

IMR donates medical supplies to Ukrainian partners

IMR has been working with healthcare practitioners in Ukraine in support of local efforts to provide training for war-related trauma.  Dr. Oleg Devinyak, Dean of the Medical School at the National University of Uzhhorod, has been a key partner of IMR for the past two years and also coordinates trauma education for the military and non-military populations.  During the Spring, 2024 we worked with Dr. Devinyak in providing critical equipment and supplies for his curriculum through a $10,000 donation.  Through this commitment, IMR is assisting battlefield medics as well as civilian providers to be better able to care for trauma patients affected by the war.  

IMR will continue to provide our Ukrainian partners the materials they need to maintain access to the healthcare needed by its patient populations under stress.

Our Return to Uzhhorod, Ukraine

We had our 1st visit to Ukraine in April and were thrilled to return again this past November. Our program is focused on enhancing medical education for clinicians and medical students at the National University of Uzhhorod. The IMR team, comprised of volunteer physicians who were skilled and dedicated teachers, led seminars that incorporated didactic and simulation sessions. Our efforts garnered attention locally and Josh, our co-founder and medical director, was interviewed on a news channel. This recognition not only highlights the importance of our work but also catalyzes broader awareness and support within our community. Together with our partners, we continue to aspire to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the evolving needs of their communities in Uzzhorod.

Lecture sessions

Our 2024 goals are to continue to support primary care education and expand lecture topics guided by our partners at the National University. We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University, which reinforced our commitment, and the partnership was also featured on their website. This agreement underscores our shared values and aspirations, serving as a foundation for continued collaboration.

Thrilled to sign our agreement with Uzhhorod University

In 2024, we also hope to hold a women’s health symposium in partnership with local non-profits, including the local Zonta club Uzhhorod, Heart to Heart Ukraine, and the local regional youth leadership office that is now headed by our IMR Ukraine youth representative Mariya Y.

We want to extend our gratitude to everyone who participated and those who volunteered their time to this wonderful collaboration. We look forward to returning to Uzhhorod later this year!

Wonderful to meet the medical students

Mariya Y., our fantastic IMR Ukraine ambassador

April in Ukraine

By: Dr. Ambereen Sleemi, Executive Director

Josh and I traveled to Uzhhorrod in western Ukraine this past April, bordering Slovakia and close to Hungary. A collaboration with several local Ukranian organizations and medical teaching institutions led to a most fruitful visit. The trip was a culmination of months of planning and coordinating with partners both in the US and in Ukraine.

We met with Dr Volodymyr Smolenka, rector of the Uzhhorod National University and renowned neurosurgeon, as well as Dr. Oleg Devinyak, the dean of the medical school. We got an in- depth tour of the medical school, including the simulation lab and classrooms, with an overview of curricula and how students education has been affected by the ongoing conflict.

Dr. Smolenka in the OR

Dr. Oleg (medical school dean) Mariya, Josh, and Ambereen

A tour of a local lab that gives much support to victims of the war followed by a visit to the National maternity hospital gave further insight into the challenges of supporting medical needs during these difficult times. We also met the head of the Ob/Gyn department and staff, hearing concerns of the care of the local population and IDP’s who have come to this city to flee the war.

This was followed by a meeting with the local Ukraine non-profit community organization Heart to Heart, which gave important insight into how orgs have pivoted to meet the needs of the community, those wounded by war as well as IDP/s, many who have made their way to Uzhhorrod, swelling the pre war population substantially. A tour of a local warming centers supported by Zonta’s Ukrainian clubs during fuel and electrical outages this past winter, was another illustration of how the conflict affects all in Ukraine.

Thankful to meet with Uzhhorrod’s National law school Dean Yaro and faculty to discuss how local laws and the medical community can support women who are survivors of both intimate partner violence and rape as it is being weaponized in this war. As IMR is committed to caring for the vulnerable and marginalized, this issue is important for us to support in any way we can. We learned much about legal and law enforcement guidelines and will plan to work collaboratively to further how the medical community can collaborate in these efforts.

Dean Yaro and the law school faculty

Press conference with local partners and local journalists

We were invited to speak to members the local Zonta Uzhhorrod and Lviv clubs, med students and community members on IMR’s past and ongoing work and how we fit into partnerships in local projects. We also presented at a local press conf (watch it on youtube in Ukrainian ) along with our local NGO colleagues and answered questions about our plans to work with the local medical and community groups to support medical education and community health, including our goal to work with local Zonta chapters and Heart to Heart to care for women who are survivors of IPV and rape.

We’re returning this November to work with local medical institutions to enhance medical education and provide support to a new pilot program providing women IDP’s gynecologic and psychologic care. We extend a heartfelt thanks to all who welcomed us so warmly and a special thanks to Mariya, our IMR Ukrainian youth ambassador in Uzhhorrod and Pete Bober, Zonta member. We thank you for your ongoing support and have much more to do! Please consider a donation here.

A quick update on our PPE project

As Covid-19 cases rise to over 9 million and we pass the tragic mark of over 228,000 people who’ve died in the US, we have continued to provide weekly personal protective equipment (PPE) deliveries to our NYC healthcare partners for the last 7 months. All current data shows that COVID cases and hospitalizations are increasing here in NYC. This is supported by what we’ve heard from the doctors and nurses we check in with weekly. We are fully committed to supporting our partners through this next wave of cases. From our ER partners in Queens, “We are definitely seeing more cases coming into our hospital.”

The requests have ranged from respiratory mask and isolation gowns, along with face shields. We expect the needs to change over the next few months. Each partner site has unique PPE needs and we hope to be able to keep our emergency supply cabinet stocked to meet this need. 

Thanks to everyone who has supported our work. We couldn’t have done it without you! We’d like to continue to be able to support our healthcare workers. Please consider a donation.

In other news, we’re so proud of one of our partners, Nurse Amy Sullivan from Wykoff ER who was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most info people for 2020. Congratulations Amy and a big cheer to all healthcare workers around the globe doing the most amazing work of caring for all who’ve been suffering through this pandemic. 

Updates from Vieques

Our 5th medical trip to Vieques (and 6th to Puerto Rico) since Hurricane Maria wrapped up a few days ago and was a resounding success. We were joined by a team from the University of Connecticut’s Department of Family Medicine and partnered with local community based organizations and organizers.

Photo Credit: Ambereen Sleemi

Health and Wellness for Vieques Youth

An important focus of this visit was to enhance health education and wellness for the adolescents on Vieques. Working at the local public middle and high school, 2nd year Family Medicine resident physicians gave presentations to over 60 students about hygiene, nutrition, substance-abuse, bullying and more. They did a great job! 

Photo Credit: Ambereen Sleemi

Prevention of chronic diseases is vital, especially here in #Vieques.  Rates of preventable illness are much higher than mainland Puerto Rico and the US.  People who live in Vieques are eight times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease and seven times more likely to die of diabetes than others in Puerto Rico. Vieques has a 30 percent higher rate of cancer than the rest of Puerto Rico, and nearly four times the rate of hypertension. In addition, the effects of Hurricane Maria had a profound affect on the mental health of inhabitants; thus there is a crucial need to confront this with a concerted effort.  Feedback from students and teachers was remarkably positive and we hope to build on this initiative to give students more knowledge about their health and well-being. A trip to the Vieques Boys and Girls Club made sure younger students also participated in focused health workshops. We also made our first visit to the Vieques Senior Center, bringing supplies, conducting well checks and speaking with seniors and administration about their specific needs. 

Home Visit Program 

Our teams continued our Home Visit Program, this time focusing on households in Esperanza.  Well-visits and home checks include assessment of home safety, roof/plumbing checks and food security.   

Photo Credit: Marc Baptiste

We were able to follow up with Claribel, who recently lost her husband after a long ailment. On our last visit, she was awaiting roof repairs and solar panels- happy to report she has both now thanks to local support. 

Photo Credit: Ambereen Sleemi

Photo Credit: Ambereen Sleemi

Photo Credit: Ambereen Sleemi

In addition, we identify the needs of caregivers who look after their homebound loved ones. Caregivers like the Solis family, which is dedicated to tending to their bedridden mother for years. They’re doing an amazing job, as were all the families caring for their loved ones here. Some need supplies, others need roof/floor repairs. Working with community organizations, we’re able to help connect needs to resources.  

Photo Credit: Marc Baptiste

NEEDS ASSESSMENT 

Continuing our partnership with local organizations/activists in Vieques, including Vieques Love, BiblioCeiba and Kathy Gannett, is vital to bring care to residents on this island. During our trip, we met with folks from Sociants--a digital platform designed to identify social determinants of health—to discuss a much-needed and overdue needs assessment on VIeques.  Participating in this initiative will allow for collection of important data that will inform our work to bring better medical care to Vieques. 

Thanks to our entire team who provided incredible preventive health education,  medical expertise and support for our work to bring the best care possible to Vieques. We thank Marc Baptiste, a remarkable photographer for lending his talent to document our work and the people for whom we care. To John and Amy Boggs and Laila O’Neal—we’re thankful you joined our team. To Drs. Guajardo, Rivera and Blumenfeld, thanks for bringing your U. Conn family to join ours. Go Huskies!

By: A. Sleemi, MD, MPH, Executive Director