Operation Smile Philippines Hosts NEXT Asia Summit 2017 July 13 – 15 In Manila in Partnership with St. Luke’s Medical Center
400
participants from 27 Countries will meet to build on 35 years of excellence in
the delivery of safe surgical programs for children with facial deformities
Leading medical
authorities who spearhead Operation Smile medical programs throughout Asia will
convene at St. Luke’s Medical Center
in Bonifacio Global City July 13 – 15
for NEXT Asia Summit 2017: Where Medical Innovation Meets Human
Inspiration. NEXT Asia offers
training through medically-focused skills workshops with emphasis on tracks in
plastic surgery, anesthesia, nursing, speech and dental specialties. The more
than 400 attendees from 27 countries will include Operation Smile medical
volunteers and speakers from six Asian countries including the Philippines, as
well as international delegates from Operation Smile’s Regan Resident Leadership Program, who represent the next
generation of medical professionals.
Operation
Smile Philippines has the distinction of hosting the first NEXT held outside
the United States, envisioned as Operation Smile’s first regional medical
summit. The NEXT conference began in the United States in 2014 and annually hosted
hundreds of medical, volunteer and business leaders who met to explore the gap
in global surgical care and collaborate on ways to overcome barriers to care.
It is
significant that NEXT Asia, co-chaired by Operation Smile’s Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Bill Magee and
Operation Smile Philippines Chief
Medical Officer Dr. Ma. Irene Tangco, is taking place in the Philippines. After 35 years of successfully taking care of more
than 31,000 surgical and dental patients in the Philippines, there is still an estimated
backlog of 18,000 patients waiting for treatment. NEXT Asia provides expert
training to educate and empower the next generation of medical professionals in
the Philippines and around the world to address the backlog in the Philippines
and globally.
According to Dr. Magee, “NEXT Asia represents our re-commitment
to the children of the Philippines, the birthplace of Operation Smile, to
continue to offer the highest standard of care for every patient with a facial
deformity.”
Programs like
NEXT Asia and the Regan Resident Leadership Program build skills in surgical
care and strengthen health systems. In a recent survey of 208 surgeons who
participated in the Resident Leadership Program, 92% agreed that this
fellowship program significantly and positively impacted all six Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies.
NEXT Asia Summit
2017 is presented by Operation Smile in partnership with St. Luke’s Medical
Center, a leading medical facility in the Philippines, which has garnered
accreditations from The Joint
Commission International (JCI), among others.
JCI is the international arm of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the oldest and most prestigious healthcare
accreditation institution in the world. St. Luke's JCI accreditation validates
its consistent compliance to stringent international patient safety quality
standards, achievement of the highest level of patient care, improvement of
patient outcomes and an environment for continuous improvement of standards.
According
to St. Luke’s Manuel M. Canlas, “The
NEXT Asia Summit is a forum for teaching, learning, and sharing through a
multidisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration with fellow volunteers. Our
ultimate goal is PATIENT SAFETY in patient care management.” Canlas serves as Associate Director, Department of Clinical
Advancement & Nursing Informatics, Nursing Care Group of St. Luke’s Medical
Center-Global City.
World
renowned craniofacial surgeon Dr.
Kenneth Salyer will deliver a keynote talk to the group highlighting his
recent book, “A Life that Matters.” Dr. Brian Sommerlad, an honorary consultant plastic surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital for
Children in London, will conduct several clinical sessions on cleft repair
technique.
According to
Operation Smile Co-Founder and President
Kathy Magee, “NEXT is a crucial program because even after 35 years, the need
for our work still outweighs the capacity to treat those who are waiting.
Operation Smile won’t stop until we heal every child with a cleft. We will
continue to bring attention to the global lack of access to safe surgery with
the help of our many partners.”
Dr. Pedro Sanchez, lead geneticist, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology, USC Keck
School of Medicine and Medical Geneticist at the Center for Personalized
Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, will speak on “Pioneering
Cleft Research” and will provide an overview on the International Family
Research Project. Launched in 2009, the scientific
study is led by The University of Southern California, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Operation Smile in a joint
initiative to understand clefts through the global collaboration of researchers
and communities for a better quality of life. To date, nearly 13,000 individual saliva samples across
almost 5,000 families have been collected, making it the world’s largest
repository of genetic information relating to global cleft populations.
0 comments