News and Updates

Global Smile Foundation Newsletter

Dedicated to Providing Comprehensive Cleft Care

Volume X, Issue III

March 2020

Pre-Screening Day in Ecuador for March Mission

Global Smile Foundation (GSF) and Fundación Global Smile - Ecuador volunteers are preparing for the first of 3 missions this year in Guayaquil, Ecuador from March 3-15, 2020 for our 33rd year of cleft service there.

On February 15, 2020 Fundaci ón Global Smile - Ecuador pre-screened 259 patients at Hospital León Beccera. The patients came early in the morning and waited hours to see our team.

Our Ecuadorian team manages the entire screening process. They served lunch to the families, set up activities to keep the children entertained, and ensured that everything went smoothly.

We are grateful to Fundación Global Smile-Ecuador and look forward to being on site in a few days.

Volunteer Spotlight: Dr. Raj Vyas

We are excited to shine a spotlight on the wonderful work of one of our volunteers, Dr. Raj Vyas, Vice-Chair of Plastic Surgery at the University of California Irvine. He has been a volunteer for the past decade, and has been one of the main investigators of augmented reality with GSF since 2013.

On February 22, 2020, Dr. Vyas presented his AR research at the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons Meeting in Austin, TX, specifically focusing on capacity and sustainability building in Trujillo, Peru.

We are so proud of the work that all of our volunteers do year-round and would like to thank Dr. Vyas for continuing to work towards making healthy smiles possible for everyone.

GSF Research Team in Action

Dr. Maria Nader and Dr. Jennifer Munoz Pareja , both volunteers and researchers with GSF, gave a poster presentation on our research on " Simulation in Outreach Settings" at the Institute for Child Health Policy- Pediatric Research Day on February 27, 2020. We appreciate their dedication that allows us to improve our patient care.

Smile of the Month: Jaren

Jaren was born in Ecuador in August 2017 with severe cleft lip and palate. He visited our Cleft Center in Guayaquil where he received nasoalveolar molding (NAM) that minimized the extent of his cleft, allowing for a better surgical outcome.

Jaren underwent his cleft lip repair in March 2018, and his cleft palate repair in July 2019. We were excited to see Jaren's healthy smile during his follow up visit a few weeks ago.