Smile Train’s International Scholars

Smile Train partners with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The Plastic Surgery Foundation to provide opportunities for our outstanding global partners to receive mentorship, training, and education at leading cleft centers in the United States. This year’s International Scholars cohort will attend the prestigious medical conference Plastic Surgery The Meeting and then spend two weeks joining rotations at elite cleft programs across the country.

Meet our 2022 scholarship recipients:

Why did you want to be a Smile Train International Scholar?

We all know that Smile Train has benefited millions of children with clefts in many parts of the world. What is not talked about very often is how it alters the surgeon's life as well. Smile Train offers an opportunity to work with a large volume of cleft cases, enabling the surgeon to excel in this field. But living a frog's life, in depth of a well, oblivious of the rest of the world does not serve any purpose. Being an international scholar helps surgeons receive international exposure. It has helped me better understand the areas where I excel and the areas where I can refine my skills. It's a step towards evolving into a better surgeon.

How has working with Smile Train improved cleft care in India?

Smile Train has revolutionized cleft care in India. In Delhi, where I work, Smile Train centers are the only centers offering comprehensive cleft care. The quality of treatment at these places is substantially superior to that at other places. Though we make all efforts to help the poorest of the poor, the fact that the rich are also walking into our private wards paying for the same treatment that a nonprofit organization delivers for free stands as testimony to the safety and quality of care we’re providing as well as the faith people have in our abilities. It's my firm belief that the future of cleft management and research that is so greatly needed will have substantial contributions from Smile Train treatment centers.

Why did you want to be a Smile Train International Scholar?

As a surgeon who works with patients with clefts, I believe it is my duty to learn more to be able to give them the best options for treatment. I want to see how we can adapt the treatment modalities in first world countries to our own. I think observing and conversing with more experienced surgeons and learning from their experience is a good way to do this.

How has working with Smile Train improved cleft care in Philippines?

Smile Train provides funding for surgery for patients with clefts, which is a big help, especially for a majority of our patients whose families live hand-to-mouth. These children would not be able to receive the surgery if not for Smile Train. Smile Train also supports speech and dental care for the patients, as well as opportunities for training and learning for its partners, which I think is very admirable and really demonstrates its efforts to provide the highest quality of care for patients.

Why did you want to be a Smile Train International Scholar?

I wanted to be a Smile Train International Scholar to have more exposure and see how cleft care and other craniofacial care is done in an advanced center. I also wanted to see a multidisciplinary approach in action, to see how comprehensive care improves the outcome of a surgery, to develop a network with other senior plastic surgeons, and to develop a network around research.

How has working with Smile Train improved cleft care in Uganda?

First, Smile Train has trained most of the local cleft surgeons and other cleft care team members we have at my center. It established treatment centers and now supports programs at more than 10 centers. Smile Train has facilitated access to care by supporting the whole ecosystem of cleft care, including supply of equipment, nutrition, speech, and the needed training for providers. So many babies with clefts now have access to surgery at the appropriate age and can now have a healthy life and start school on time. The survival rate for babies with cleft palates has improved, and training has improved surgical outcomes.

We have established one center with comprehensive care and I'm in the process of establishing more. We, the cleft team, have been given the chance to see things in the more advanced centers and this has improved our skills. It exposed us to the larger world of cleft surgery. Smile Train has also supported training and education in research, so that we have started to slowly do some of our own research. Thank you, and we have received a lot of support even as individuals to be able to deliver the services for which we are so grateful.

Current Scholars: