A Chat with Dr. Ruben Ayala, Our New Senior Vice President of International Programs and Medical Affairs
May 1, 2012
When Dr. Ruben Ayala first volunteered for an Operation Smile medical mission as a teenager in his hometown of David, Panama, he had no idea that one day he would be playing a critical role in helping the organization transform the lives of children in need around the world. Arriving at the hospital that morning in 1992 was an experience Ayala will never forget. Hundreds of children and their parents were waiting anxiously outside the hospital waiting to be seen.
Dr. Ayala has been part of Operation Smile for over 20 years, serving as a volunteer, program coordinator, regional coordinator for Latin America, Senior Manager of International Programs, Director of Programs for Mexico, and Headquarters Medical Officer. He was recently promoted to Senior Vice President of International Programs and Medical Affairs. In his new role, he will oversee our core programs in developing countries, including surgical medical missions, our global Comprehensive Care Centers, as well as...
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Operation Smile’s Annual Resident Leadership Conference
April 24, 2012
Last weekend, Operation Smile hosted its 2-day Annual Resident Leadership Conference, a gathering of over 50 resident physicians from all over the world who came together to discuss cutting-edge changes in global healthcare service delivery. The participants were Regan Fellows, resident physicians who participate in the life-changing work of Operation Smile. The fellows joined us from Canada, China, Colombia, USA, UK, India, Israel, Italy, Sweden, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique, Philippines, South Africa and Spain. It was an opportunity for them to hear from those who’ve just come back from the field who shared their thoughts on new and effective surgical approaches, providing healthcare in challenging environments, and the Operation Smile surgery model at work. The conference and Fellowship was generously supported by the Regan Family and Stryker, one of the world’s leading medical technology companies. The meetings took place at the Hilton Garden Inn Virginia Beach from...
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Operation Smile Announces 2012 Outstanding Volunteer Award Winners
April 18, 2012
As the largest volunteer-based medical charity providing surgical care to children around the world, Operation Smile is proud of its more than 5,000 medical volunteers and its hundreds of thousands of community volunteers — all ready to give their time, passion and dedication to help children in need. In celebration of National Volunteer Week, Operation Smile is hosting its annual Volunteer Awards Ceremony on April 22, to honor eight exceptional volunteers and corporate partners.
The need for these volunteers is urgent. Every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft. One in 10 will die before their first birthday. Since 1982, Operation Smile medical volunteers have provided more than 2 million free comprehensive healthcare evaluations and performed more than 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with facial deformities, such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
