Behind the Smiles

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, child life specialist Nicole and electronic medical records team leader Jill sit down to talk about the comprehensive care we provide every patient during medical missions. The pair were members of the volunteer team during our most recent mission in Madaba, Jordan. Here they discuss everything that goes into delivering high-quality heath care for patients around the world and detail some of their most memorable mission moments. Watch the 12th episode of Behind the Smiles to learn more about these two women and their commitment to helping children born with cleft.

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, staff members from Operation Smile Guatemala share why they chose this kind of work. Laura, executive director of Operation Smile Guatemala, and Maria, program coordinator, provide insight into the work being accomplished in the country while also discussing what it's like attending a medical mission in Guadalajara, Mexico, where this episode was recorded.

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, Ramsey, regional adviser to the Middle East, and Fouzia, executive director of Operation Smile Morocco, explore the history of our organization in the region. At the time of their conversation, the pair were overseeing a medical mission and a medical education conference in Jordan. Fouzia and Ramsey share stories of milestone moments in the development of our presence in the Middle East and share insights into our plans to increase our impact in the future.

Ghanaian patient coordinators Clement and Emmanuel work with tireless dedication to find and transport children and adults born with cleft to our medical mission sites in Ghana. Not only do they help the patients they serve overcome physical and social barriers, they also spread awareness about the free, safe surgical care that Operation Smile provides. Watch this week's episode of Behind the Smiles to hear why the work they are accomplishing in Ghana is so crucial.

In this episode of Behind the Smiles, Regional Directors Morgan and Indiana talk about the work we're doing to improve access to safe surgery for individuals living with cleft and other surgically treatable conditions through our new safe surgery initiative.

Indiana shares local solutions that have worked in the countries she oversees: Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. Morgan details our partnership with a regional hospital in Madagascar and shares how lessons we've learned from that partnership have benefited the other countries she represents: Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Morgan and Indiana are excited to be creating a road map that other organizations can follow to improve access to surgery around the world.

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, Flex from Madagascar and Lissel from Honduras talk about what it's like being a patient coordinator for Operation Smile. In most countries where we work, we either have a volunteer or staff coordinator for all logistical details necessary to find and transport patients to our medical mission sites.

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, Diana Church, volunteer manager in Canada, and Hedde Lundgren, volunteer manager in Sweden, share their experiences. As staff members in our global family, they appreciate the passion brought by the volunteers they manage, and both work tirelessly to build long-lasting relationships. Watch to learn why volunteer managers are an essential part of providing safe surgery to children around the world.

Pediatrician Dr. Shadi Alsmadi says, “This is not just one surgery and, ‘Goodbye.’” In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, we caught up with two volunteers in the post-anesthesia care unit during our medical mission in Madaba, Jordan. Field Medical Director and pediatrician Dr. Peter Radell of Sweden and pediatrician Dr. Shadi Alsmadi of Jordan discuss the unique challenges children born with cleft conditions can face when accessing care in the Middle East.

The pair are longtime volunteers with our organization and with others including Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children. Watch their discussion to hear their perspectives on why the ongoing care we provide is so important in the Middle East and around the world.

We sat down with two longtime Operation employees, Ruben Ayala and Ann Campbell. Ruben serves as our Chief Medical Office, CMO and Ann is the senior director of medical oversight. Both Ann and Ruben started off as volunteer with the organization and now they each work tirelessly to bring our patients the highest quality of care. In this episode of Behind the Smiles, the pair shares stories of their first medical missions, insight into their jobs, and so much more.

We caught up with long-time volunteers Lorena and Kristi during our medical mission in Guadalajara, Mexico, earlier this year. Lorena served as the electronic medical records team leader and Kristi was a member of the pre and post operative nursing team. This couple lives in Fresno, California, but they have traveled across the globe donating their time and expertise to help children in need of life-changing surgery. In this conversation, they share some of their fondest memories from the more than 30 medical missions they have participated in. They told us they plan to continue volunteering for as long as they can. Listen to their conversation now to hear what it is that keeps them coming back. 

 This episode features a conversation between two international Program Coordinators Mich, from Madagascar, and Mauricio, from Mexico. It's their job to make sure every aspect of our medical programs run smoothly. Mich and Mauricio share details about the toughest and most rewarding aspects of their work.  

The first episode of our new series features a conversation between our CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Bill, and his wife, our President and Co-Founder, Kathy Magee. Join us for their look back at 36 years of kind, caring people who have joined together to change the lives of thousands of children with cleft. 

Hi guys, we're Ally and Laura, and part of our job is to teach all of you about the exciting things happening at Operation Smile. That's why we are happy to introduce you to our new podcast called Behind the Smiles.