I plan to travel with the ReSurge organization and present on behalf of ReSurge at a cleft care conference, followed by a capacity building trip focusing on microsurgical breast reconstruction. This will provide educational and training opportunities both operatively and non operatively to help to build reconstructive efforts across different sites in Vietnam.
The pediatric cleft lip and palate population will be positively impacted through my involvement in the cleft care conference. This provides the opportunity to teach and discuss up to date management with local pediatric craniofacial surgeons, while assisting to continue to help build capacity and problem solve accessibility and resource issues. Additionally, female breast cancer patients will be benefitted as we build capacity and awareness of the option for microsurgical breast reconstruction in Vietnam. We plan for an operative teaching trip to work with local surgeons to continue to train local microsurgeons on up to date techniques and provide supplies to perform microsurgery.
This trip will have long term impact on the capacity for microsurgical and autologous breast reconstruction for the women's breast cancer population in Vietnam. Through the operative training and resources planned on this trip we are hoping our local partners in Hue, Vietnam will continue to expand their footprint in offering microsurgical breast reconstruction to their patients.
In terms of the cleft patient population, Vietnam has grown immensely over the past few years in ability to care for and provide complex cleft care through prior efforts of ReSurge and other global surgical organizations. This conference allows the opportunity to discuss current obstacles and help problem solve with assistance from ReSurge. Additionally, it provides a good check point for up to date cleft care topics and education. This will provide local surgeons with new efforts and solutions to current problems faced and an outlet to expand educational efforts across Vietnam. This also provides a good outlet to discuss our ongoing research project on the economic and quality of life impacts of reconstructive craniofacial surgery for this patient population.
I had a great time interacting with local cleft and craniofacial surgeons at the Hanoi Complex cleft meeting, and we developed a new task force to help advocate for insurance coverage and preventing the independent silos providers are facing. In Hue, we did 7 free flaps in three days teaching local providers breast micro. The patients were very appreciative!
