SURFING MEDICINE INTERNATIONAL

Surfing Medicine International aims to accomplish community-based, participatory research projects in rural areas of tropical America, West Africa, and the Caribbean. Our project designs improve local capacity to sustain natural resources and protect traditional knowledge.

Surfing Medicine International cultivates long-term collaborative relationships with individuals, leaders, organizations, governments, and institutions in the communities and regions we work in. We focus on good communication and participatory methods that aim to protect local intellectual property and rights.

Surfing Medicine International has a strong membership and a Board of Directors with the skills, experience, and qualifications required to accomplish our mission. Our co-founders, Guy A. Ragosta, Steve Bogle, and Summer Ragosta have over 60 years of collective experience working in the regions we serve.

Surfing Medicine International has established connections in rural Ghana and secured a building site for a rural clinic. In Jamaica, we have developed a monitoring protocol for herbalists. Cross-cultural studies in these two historically connected regions (West Africa and the Caribbean) have been conducted and published in peer-reviewed journals (Ethnobiology Letters and Jamaica Journal). In Hawai`i we coordinated a native seed planting program in collaboration with musicians at various concert venues.