Newswise — WASHINGTON (May 18, 2016) – This week more than one hundred doctors and residents from around the world will simultaneously gather at four universities across the nation, including the George Washington University (GW), to enhance participant’s existing medical skills and learn new surgical techniques, creating a platform for skill sharing across cultures. Participants are members of Operation Smile’s international network of credentialed surgical volunteers.
The international pediatric anesthesiology training will be led by faculty from the Office of International Medicine Programs and the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health sciences. Training will take place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, May 19 and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, May 20.
The trainings will be led by nine faculty members of GW, notably the Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Anna Katharine Hindle, M.D.; Associate Dean of International Medicine and Executive Director of the Office of International Medicine Programs Huda M. Ayas, M.H.S.A, M.B.A., Ed.D.; and Clinical Professor of Surgery and Medical Director of the Office of International Medicine Programs Stanley M. Knoll, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Participants will benefit from 15.5 total hours of surgical instruction and simulation. This training is unique because it will take place, in part, at the Clinical Learning and Simulation Skills (CLASS) Center. The CLASS Center enables the creation of highly realistic scenarios for real-time training, utilizing mock operating rooms to offer hands-on practice of essential skills, procedures and critical care. The primary goal of the training is to enhance participant’s understanding of the administration of anesthesia to infants and children.
Operation Smile’s Co-Founder and CEO Bill Magee, D.D.S., M.D., attended GW as a medical student and created lasting connections with many GW faculty and alumni. The Office of International Medicine Programs became long-time partners of Operation Smile and have coordinated conferences and medical missions since 1997. Approximately 30 GW students, faculty and residents have participated in missions in the last decade. The partnership between GW and Operation Smile demonstrates both organizations’ long-lasting commitment to helping fill the global gap in access to safe, well-timed surgeries by providing training to local medical personnel in low and middle income countries.
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About NEXT Global Summit Operation Smile’s 2016 NEXT Global Summit will convene May 18 to 25. In the largest gathering of medical volunteers, board members, foundation staff, and community supporters in the organization’s history, 550 participants from 42 countries will meet in Virginia Beach, Va. The global team will collaborate across groups and contribute to the formation of innovative solutions in providing safe, well-timed, and effective surgical care to Operation Smile patients. The summit will also include MediCon; a series of hands-on medical training courses made possible by Operation Smile in partnership with leading universities and medical schools across the country.
About Operation SmileOperation Smile is an international medical charity that has provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children and young adults in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities. It is one of the oldest and largest volunteer-based organizations dedicated to improving the health and lives of children worldwide through access to surgical care. Since 1982, Operation Smile has developed expertise in mobilizing volunteer medical teams to conduct surgical missions in resource-poor environments while adhering to the highest standards of care and safety. Operation Smile helps to fill the gap in providing access to safe, well-timed surgeries by partnering with hospitals, governments and ministries of health, training local medical personnel, and donating much-needed supplies and equipment to surgical sites around the world. Founded and based in Virginia, U.S., Operation Smile has extended its global reach to more than 60 countries through its network of credentialed surgeons, pediatricians, doctors, nurses, and student volunteers.
About the GW School of Medicine and Health SciencesFounded in 1824, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) was the first medical school in the nation’s capital and is the 11th oldest in the country. Working together in our nation’s capital, with integrity and resolve, the GW SMHS is committed to improving the health and well-being of our local, national and global communities. smhs.gwu.edu
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