Cleft Lip and Palate Surgical Mission to Colombia, October 2011

In October 2011, Dr. Ransom was part of a surgical mission team to a remote seaside town in Colombia, called Santa Marta. During a very busy week of patient visits, surgery, and follow-up, the team from Healing the Children performed over 75 procedures on pediatric and young adult patients. Surgeries included repair of cleft lip deformities, cleft palate deformities, rhinoplasty (nose reshaping and reconstruction) for patients with cleft lips, and removal of other congenital lesions of the face and neck. This work was highlighted in the Academy’s newsletter (http://aaobulletin-365.ascendeventmedia.com/article/healing-the-children-mission-to-colombia-2011/); see picture below; Dr. Ransom is second from the left.

The team was led by Dr. Manoj Abraham and Dr. Andrew Jacono. This coming October, Dr. Ransom will return to the same hospital with a new team from Healing the Children. During this trip, he will check on patients from the previous years’ missions and perform surgeries on new patients. This trip will include, for the first time, reconstruction of microtia (congenital deformity of the ears). Please visit www.htcne.org for more information or to make a charitable contribution.