In 2009, Dr. Kugel visited the NPH Orphanage in the Domnican Republic for 1 week. Organized by 2008 Tufts graduate and current faculty member Dr. Heidi Aaronson and sponsored by Procter & Gamble, the weeklong mission trip included stops at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) orphanage in San Pedro, five bateyes (villages) near the orphanage, and the Boston Red Sox Dominican Academy near Santo Domingo.