Three Oregon Tech Vascular Technology faculty traveled to Trinidad and Tobago Sept. 5-9 to volunteer with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to provide education and training in vascular ultrasound and help standardize the ultrasound practice throughout the region.
Leah Jolly (Associate Professor), Neil Santos (Instructor), and Ethan Schlecht (Provisional Instructor) are the first vascular team from Oregon Tech to travel to the Caribbean to teach vascular ultrasound. The goal of the trip was to provide more specialized training for ultrasound sonographers and physicians. Once there, the team also created vascular templates to help standardize ultrasound practice across several hospitals on the island.
PAHO stated that the training brought together participants from all five Regional Health Authorities across Trinidad and Tobago, including sonographers, radiologists, radiology residents, and vascular surgeons.
The team began with webinars on specific requested subjects, then provided on-site training. The subjects focused on carotid ultrasound, arteriovenous fistula scanning and mapping, lower extremity deep-vein thrombosis studies, and lower extremity venous reflux studies. Training for these included techniques on how to scan, up-to-date pathology criteria, and standardized methods for reporting the findings.
Jolly reported that more than 200 attendees participated in the webinars prior to the trip, providing sonographers with a base for what the training would include. “This was a very rewarding and eye-opening experience for us to see the similarities and differences between the U.S. healthcare system and that of another country,” Jolly said. “Vascular disease in particular can be very complex. We would love to continue partnering with our colleagues in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as other Caribbean nations, to improve the quality of vascular patient care across the region.”
participants at the workshop
During the on-site training, participants engaged in highly interactive sessions at five hospitals throughout the country over the four-day period.
PAHO wrote: Participants had the opportunity to practice scanning techniques on real patients under the guidance of the experienced facilitators. These sessions were instrumental in bridging the gap between theory and practice, allowing participants to refine their skills in a clinical setting and gain confidence in using vascular ultrasound technology.
Schlecht said the Oregon Tech team was impressed by the amount of baseline knowledge and up-to-date ultrasound equipment at the facilities. “Because of this, our conversations and training became much more in-depth, which was very exciting for us,” Schlecht said. “We hope to have more trips like this in the future. PAHO has stated that there is a need for this training elsewhere, and we also hope to return for follow-up trips to Trinidad and Tobago.”
PAHO is a specialized international health agency (part of the World Health Organization) that collaborates with countries to enhance and protect the health of their populations. For this trip, representatives in Trinidad and Tobago requested that PAHO coordinate vascular ultrasound training to meet a critical gap in diagnostic services.
Read more about the trip here: https://www.paho.org/en/news/15-9-2025-helping-hospitals-help-patients-vascular-ultrasonography-training-boosts-diagnostic.
###
