Keynote speaker, Dr John G. Meara, will address the changing global surgery landscape in the wake of COVID-19’s impact.

Operation Smile is hosting its first Virtual Regan Resident Leadership Conference with the support of the Harbourton Foundation on Friday, November 20 from 9:00 am to 2:15 pm EST.

The exclusive virtual event, “The Changing Landscape and Innovation in Global Surgery and Implications for Comprehensive Cleft Care,” will offer opportunities for shared learning, networking and collaboration between Operation Smile Regan fellows, residents, recent graduates and world-renowned experts regarding global surgery, innovations and its implications for comprehensive cleft care. 

John G. Meara, MD, DMD, MBA, is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech. Meara, who is the Kletjian professor of global surgery, director of the program in global surgery and social change, and professor of surgery in the department of surgery at Harvard Medical School, has a particular interest in augmenting the delivery of quality surgical and anesthesia care in low-resource settings through long-term capacity building. His clinical interests are in the area of craniofacial conditions and cleft lip and cleft palate. Meara will address the changing global surgery landscape in recent years and in the wake of COVID-19’s impact. 

John G. Meara, MD, DMD, MBA

Additional feature presentations will highlight a variety of industry experts including Operation Smile co-founder and chief executive officer, Bill Magee, DDS, MD; Donald Lalonde, MD, FRCSC, a professor in the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Dalhousie University in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; Jeffrey R. Marcus, MD, of Duke Children’s Health Center Plastic Surgery Clinic; and Nicole Ann Shilkofski, MD, MEd, assistant professor of pediatrics and anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

“To see the next generation of leaders in plastic surgery, anesthesia and pediatrics come together as part of the Operation Smile Regan Resident Leadership Program is inspiring,” says Operation Smile chief medical officer Ruben Ayala, MD. “These are professionals who believe that medicine, humanitarian assistance and capacity building have the power to bring humanity together. Through the Regan fellowship, mentors and mentees forge a clear path towards the fulfillment of their service and the positive changes in the lives of children and communities we all hope for.” 

Supported by the Harbourton Foundation, the Operation Smile Regan Resident Leadership Program plays a pivotal role in increasing the capacity and skills of senior residents specializing in surgery, anesthesiology and pediatrics, empowering them to deliver high-quality care. Through this program, senior residents have the opportunity to volunteer on an Operation Smile medical program and other training opportunities. This provides the residents with the unique opportunity to develop professional skills, collaborate with a diverse care team while bringing high-quality care to people living with cleft lip and cleft palate around the world.

[Source: Dion Marketing]