Smile Train's Medical Advisory Board

Many of the best and brightest cleft experts in the world, from surgeons to anesthesiologists to orthodontists to speech therapists, comprise the Smile Train Global Medical Advisory Board. It works closely with regional Medical Advisory Councils – such as in Mexico, India, China, Brazil, and Africa – to set the standards for safety and quality for every Smile Train partner and program.

Dr. Larry Hollier

Smile Train’s number-one priority in sponsoring cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care is to ensure the safety of all patients receiving treatment. The organization’s Medical Advisory Board has developed a Safety and Quality Protocol that sets the required standards for safe surgery and anesthesia care at Smile Train medical partners around the world.

Medical Advisory Board Members

Led by the world-renowned cleft surgeon Dr. Larry Hollier, Jr., M.D. (Professor of Plastic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, and Chief, Plastic Surgery Service, Texas Children’s Hospital), this board sets the standards for safety and quality for every Smile Train partner and program.

Medical Advisory Board Members

Larry Hollier Jr., MD, FACS

Chairman
Professor of Plastic Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine
Texas Children’s Hospital

Karoon Agrawal, MD

Senior Consultant
Cleft, Hypospadias & Plastic Surgery
National Heart Institute

Nivaldo Alonso, MD, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery
Department of Craniofacial Surgery
Hospital das Clínicas
University of São Paulo (USP)

Dr. Fauzia Anis Khan, MD

Professor of Anesthesiology
Aga Khan University

Rona Breese

Nurse training consultant educator and curriculum co-developer, Smile Train Africa
Postgraduate Certificate in Health Professions Education, University of York 2020
BA (Hons) Practitioner Leadership (Nursing), Manchester University 2008 (First class)

Catherine Crowley, J.D., Ph.D.,CCC-SLP, ASHA-F

Professor of Practice and Director of the Bilingual Extension Institute
Teachers College Columbia University

Court Cutting, MD

Chairman Emeritus
Emeritus Professor of Plastic Surgery
Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
New York University Medical Center

Peter Donkor, BDS, MDSc, MS, FRACDS, FGCS, FWACS

Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Director Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Cleft/Craniofacial Clinic
Vice President West African College of Surgeons

Faye Evans, MD

Senior Associate in Perioperative Anesthesia
Boston Children’s Hospital
Assistant Professor in Anaesthesia
Harvard Medical School

Alvaro Figueroa, DDS, MS

Co-Director
Rush Craniofacial Center
Rush University Medical Center

Roberto L. Flores, MD

Joseph G. McCarthy Associate Professor of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
Director Cleft Lip and Palate
Director Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship
Hansjorg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery
New York University Langone Medical Center

Zipporah Gathuya, MD, MPH

Pediatric Anesthesiologist The Nairobi Hospital
Secretary Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery Leadership Committee

Richard Hopper, MD

Samuel Stal, MD Endowed Chair
Professor of Surgery
Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine

Eric Hubli, MD, FACS, FAAP, FICS

Medical Director of Craniofacial & Cleft Services
Cook Children's Medical Center

Ian Jackson, MD, DSc(Hon)FRCS, FACS, FRACS(Hon)

Chairman Emeritus
Emeritus Craniofacial Surgeon
Ian Jackson Craniofacial & Cleft Palate Clinic
Beaumont Health System

Dr. Cheng-hao Li, MD

Professor, Director of Department of Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery
West China Hospital of Stomatology of Sichuan University
Vice Chairman of the Society of Cleft Lip and Palate

Peter Mossey, B.D.S., Ph.D., F.D.S., R.C.S.

Professor of Craniofacial Development and Associate Dean for Internationalisation
University of Dundee Dental School

Dr. Maria Asuncion A. Silvestre, MD, FPSNbM

Maternal and Newborn Health
Early Essential Newborn Care
Malnutrition in Children
Evidence-Based Medicine

Felicity Vidya Mehendale, MD, FRCS

President International Confederation of Cleft Lip & Palate and Related Craniofacial Anomalies
Director Global Cleft Lip and Palate Research Program
Centre for Global Health
Usher Institute at The University of Edinburgh

Ethylin Wang Jabs, MD

Chair
Department of Clinical Genomics
Mayo Clinic

Regional Medical Advisory Councils

Africa Medical Advisory Council – Contact [email protected]

China Medical Advisory Council – Contact [email protected]

India Medical Advisory Board – Contact [email protected]

Latin America Medical Advisory Council – Contact [email protected]