title: Operation Smile and the Guwahati Comprehensive Cleft Care Center: Multidisciplinary Global Activism in Plastic Surgery.
abstract: Participation in a medical mission in an underserved area is both a challenging and deeply satisfying experience. The global burden of cleft lip and palate is significant, and as plastic surgery providers we are all empowered to help these patients. Surgery for cleft lip and palate is life changing for patients, and the privilege of participating in a mission can be life altering for the providers as well. The Comprehensive Cleft Care Center in Guwahati, India, is a prime example of multidisciplinary collaboration resulting in excellent care in the developing world.
authors.affiliation: Chad Allen Purnell, MD, is a fourth year plastic and reconstructive surgery resident at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. He is currently completing a research fellowship in the craniofacial biology laboratory of Dr. Arun Gosain, studying craniosynostosis in both humans and animal models, as well as studying the effects of tissue expansion on skin. He looks forward to a career in academic pediatric and craniofacial surgery.
authors.forename: Chad Allen
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Purnell