Ecuador clinic expansion increases access to care, offers learning opportunities for UK community
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 11, 2026) — Members of the University of Kentucky community and Centro de Salud Hombro a Hombro Health Clinic celebrated the expansion on May 21 of the clinic in Santo Domingo. Ecuador, home to Shoulder to Shoulder Global, a program that offers UK students, trainees, faculty and staff short-term experiences in global health.
Shoulder to Shoulder Global partners with communities and academic institutions to improve health in underserved areas in Ecuador and Kenya. The program also supports students, trainees and clinicians to build skills through hands-on learning.
“This May we celebrated more than the opening of a new health center in Ecuador — we celebrate hope, partnership and a shared commitment to healing,” said Thomas Young, M.D., professor in the College of Medicine and founder of Shoulder to Shoulder Global. “Through the collaboration of UK Shoulder to Shoulder Global and Hombro Hombro Foundation, this expanded center will provide enhanced rehabilitation services, a modern medical laboratory, and additional clinical exam rooms to better serve the community with dignity, compassion and excellence for generations to come.”
The expansion was made possible through donations from UK Shoulder to Shoulder alumni and the Santo Domingo, Ecuador community, in collaboration with Hombro a Hombro. It includes an onsite medical laboratory, an adult and pediatric rehabilitation center, enhanced oral health services and a new primary care ultrasound program. Plaques at the clinic honored the significant contributions of Thomas Young; Lynn English, UK professor emerita of Physical Therapy; and partner physician Lisa McTavish and her husband Neil McTavish.
Design for the expansion was led by a team that included:
- Joe Brewer, director of technology and facilities, UK College of Design
- Lindsey Fay, associate dean for research, UK College of Design
- Abigail Wolfe, associate principal, Stengel Hill
“Not only does the expansion provide greater access to care for the local population, it will create more opportunities for UK students, faculty and staff to build their skills as current and future clinicians,” said Melody Ryan, assistant vice president for Global Health Initiatives. “This program has yielded positive results abroad and at home in how we deliver care to Kentuckians, and we’re excited for the opportunities this expansion will provide.”
Since Shoulder to Shoulder Global began more than 18 years ago, the clinic has provided more than 113,000 medical consultations and 25,000 dental consultations. UK participants have seen about 46,000 patients as part of these short-term experiences in global health.
“We’ve seen the power of this program in the community for nearly two decades,” Ryan said. “It will be exciting to see the additional impact this expansion will have for patients and for UK participants.”
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and healthcare. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.