So No Child Must Wait

Interplast’s “A Story of Healing” Producer Receives Film Festival Award

Donna Dewey, producer of Academy Award winning film “A Story of Healing,” received the Best of the Fest award at last week’s Edinburgh International Film Festival for her recent film Skills Like This.  More information about this award and her film can be found here.

“A Story of Healing,” which documents Interplast’s work in Vietnam, is the first Academy Award® winning documentary to have a Creative Commons license and is available to download here.

Interplast congratulates Dewey on her new achievement.

Cornell Health International Features Interplast Photo Exhibit

  Cornell Health-Borges Photo Exhibit Event 
  Originally uploaded by interplast

Originally from Fremont, California, Kate Mosso started volunteering with Interplast  when she was still in high school.  Helping with the medical warehouse and with whatever projects were needed, Kate came to the office regularly and became familiar with the photos of renowned photographer Phil Borges, which document the work of Interplast patients and volunteers in Peru and Vietnam.

Now at Cornell University studying pre-med, Kate continues to support Interplast and to be interested in global health issues.

With her dedication and hard-work, the Borges photo exhibit, The Gift, will be featured at Cornell.  It will be displayed from September 4-15 at the Willard Straight Art Gallery on campus.

The exhibit is sponsored by the Cornell Health International (CHI), a student organization at Cornell University that works to raise awareness of global health issues at Cornell University.  Kate serves as the organization's secretary.

On September 4, Dr. Eric Mooney, Interplast volunteer plastic surgeon from Coopertown, will speak at the exhibit's reception.  Interplast's 1997 Academy Award® winning documentary A Story of Healing will also be shown. We invite all of you in the surrounding area to attend from 5-7pm, September 4, at the Willard Straight Art Gallery, Cornell University.  Please contact us for further information.

Political Unrest in Dhaka Postpones Educational Visit

Dr. Michelle Spring, Webster Fellow:  Events in Bangladesh have unfolded over the week. The day of my flight to Dhaka, we received an email from Dr. Shafquat Khundkar, Interplast's surgical outreach director for Bangladesh, explaining the current situation with the student protests and police violent clashes.  The city is now under indefinite curfew, the media and mobile cell phone companies are blacked out, and the situation is very tense. 

It was decided that it was not safe to go ahead with the trip. And since Dr. Khundkar didn't know when he would be able to see patients again, I would not have the opportunity to learn from him. I am very disappointed.  I was packed and waiting for my passport and visa to be sent overnight to the Interplast office from the Bangladesh Embassy (cutting it a little close....). 

Now I have two weeks before the Azoques, Ecuador trip in September.  I am going to research international public health topics and get a start on my project.  Hopefully, everything will resolve without more violence in Bangladesh and people can get back to their lives as soon as possible.  I hope to be able to reschedule my trip sometime this year.

Helping Earthquake Victims in Pisco, Peru

Percy Rossell, Zulema Tomas, and local intern
Originally uploaded by interplast

Dr. Percy Rossell, Interplast Surgical Outreach Director, Peru is in Pisco, attending to earthquake victims. Here is what he wrote to us today: "I am in Pisco, a city in the south of Lima. It is really hard and heart-breaking to assist all these injured people in these conditions.
Almost all houses and buildings are distroyed in the area and many people are inside these places waiting for help. We are attending injured people and moving cadavers also. The situation will be worse because there isn´t lights at night and enough food and water.
Anyway, it's a priviliedge for us to help our people using our skills in this situation."
(This photo of Percy is from last year. Unfortunately, we do not have any of him in Pisco yet.)

Peruvian Partner Helps After Earthquake

Peruvian Partner Helps After Earthquake
Originally uploaded by interplast

Because of the recent earthquake, we were worried about our Interplast Surgical Outreach Director in Lima, Dr. Percy Rossell. We finally heard from him today. He is well, but has been traveling to the more affected areas caring for earthquake victims, like many doctors in his country. It is great to work with such humanitarians every day. (This photo of Percy was taken last year, performing a free surgery for a child with a cleft.)

Michelle Spring, Webster Fellow, 2007-08

  Michelle Spring, Webster Fellow, 2007-08 
  Originally uploaded by interplast

Dr. Michelle Spring is Interplast's new Webster Fellow. The Webster Fellowship offers a newly trained, board-eligible plastic surgeon the opportunity to spend a year with Interplast's medical colleagues in developing countries such as Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Ecuador, Ghana, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia---performing the highest form of medical citizenship through care of those in need. 

Michelle is looking forward to her fellowship and the travel it entails.  She will be keeping this blog throughout the year to tell us more about her journey.