“From Dream to Reality: Running Successful IVF Center in Haiti by Harry Beauvais, MD, MPH” Low resource countries with long histories of political instability are frequently perceived as countries not worthy of investment because of the belief that they will be perpetually 150 years behind the developed world.
However, access to global technology is leveling the playing field and progress can be accelerated when low resource nations begin to achieve goals that no one thinks that they can achieve. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds in recent years, Haiti has reduced the incidence of HIV to <2%; seen the birth of babies from in vitro fertilization; and introduced the world to digital pathology through the development of collaborative partnerships between thought leaders, universities and corporations both for profit and not for profit. Haiti, labeled as the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, and similar countries have the potential to transform themselves through their ability to rapidly embrace and implement rapidly advancing technologies.
Dr. Beauvais is a prominent Haitian Ob/Gyn physician with an MPH who has had a vision of transforming Haiti from both the bottom up and the top down. He co-founded FOSREF, a Haitian NGO that helped Haiti reduce the incidence of HIV from >7% to <2% as well as bringing in vitro fertilization to the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere through the foundation of another Haitian NGO, CHITAI. Harry is a Haitian medical leader who has traveled and trained at multiple renown Universities including Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic and Tel-Aviv University. He is using that education to bring Haitian health care leaders together with partners to achieve the goal of changing the world’s image of Haiti.
In vitro fertilization was one of his dreams and thanks to his vision and determination he was able overcome many obstacles and open the First IVF Center in Haiti. One of Dr. Beauvais’s many visions is to show Haitians that they can achieve their dreams by creating one of the most successful IVF programs and become a prominent referral center for the Haitian Diaspora and the Caribbean.