This Cartoon Makes Every Child Smile
Dentist… artist… what’s the difference?
Dr. Buddhathida Wangsrimongkol is an orthodontist at Smile Train partner Khon Kaen University Hospital in Thailand. She describes herself as “fun and lively” and “short but sporty.” But her favorite hobby is art, and maybe that’s how she got her nickname: “Cartoon.”
Cartoon grew up in Khon Kaen in a family of orthodontists, but it was her mother’s work with children with clefts — combined with her passion for art — that inspired her to pursue a career in dentistry.
She encountered cleft patients for the first time herself while pursuing her own practice shortly after earning her degree. But even after six years of dental school, she felt completely unprepared to offer these children the special care they needed.
So she came to the US, completing orthodontic training at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, followed by specialized craniofacial training at the University of Michigan and NYU Langone Health.
Six years later, she returned home transformed, eager to help her neighbors with clefts and bubbling with big plans for the future of cleft care in Khon Kaen. She found a ready right hand in Smile Train.
Cartoon
In honor of International Women’s Day, we caught up with Cartoon to learn about what animates her, what makes her heart beat through her eyes, and what makes her smile.
Help us empower more women like our Cartoon heroine. Make a special International Women’s Day gift now.
