Chief Resident Dr. Adam Abel and PGY3 Dr. Andy Vu had to scramble when a long-awaited opportunity to serve with Smile Bangladesh emerged in February. They were quickly accepted into the program, but there was a catch: The team was set to depart in less than a month. Undeterred, the two residents managed to pull together visas, flights, time off, vaccinations and their GIVE travel stipends from the OMS Foundation in time to join Dr. Shahid Aziz’s Smile Bangladesh team.
“I was trying to do something very positive, but as a resident, finances are a huge concern,” said Dr. Vu. “The privilege of being selected to go, and the honor of receiving this GIVE grant, was amazing.”
Upon arrival, “people were lined up outside the hospital waiting to be seen; more children than we could treat within the week,” Dr. Abel said. The Smile Bangladesh team screened patients past midnight, scheduling operations over the next few days for children whose deformities were the most severe. Others were scheduled for return visits in November.
In just four days, the two residents and three attending surgeons performed cleft surgeries on 32 infants and toddlers, plus seven complex orthognathic procedures on teens and young adults. “To help with the daily struggles of these babies and mothers was an incredible experience,” Dr. Vu said. The parents’ appreciation was obvious. “The last day, the moms were handing us the babies, crying happy tears. I can’t see a better way to spend a week.”
“I would go back tomorrow,” Dr. Abel said. “From a philanthropic and educational perspective, this was a transformative experience for me as a surgeon and something that I would recommend.”
Dr. Vu agreed. “You go there expecting to learn, but you don’t realize how much you’re going to learn or how much good you can do in such a short amount of time.”
With support from Canfield Inc., OMSNIC and the OMS Foundation Alliance, as many as ten $2,500 GIVE stipends per year help to defray travel costs for residents serving with approved OMS teams to deliver healthcare to underserved communities. The Foundation accepts applications for GIVE (Global Initiative for Volunteerism and Education) year-round from both OMS residents and humanitarian healthcare programs.
Join the OMS Foundation at the Alliance Luncheon and FUNraiser in New Orleans, La., on Sept. 15 to hear more from Dr. Abel about his inspirational experience with Smile Bangladesh. Seating is limited; purchase tickets by Sept. 11. No onsite registration is available for this event.
| Resident travel opportunities with GIVE-approved humanitarian teams are available in 2022 and 2023. Find a current list here, and contact the program leader to express your interest. |