Behind the Smiles

Latest Episodes:

A Deeper Look at Providing Comprehensive Cleft Care for Every Patient | Behind the Smiles Ep. 12 Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, child life specialist Nicole and electronic medical records team leader Jill sit down to talk about the comprehensive care we provide every patient during medical missions. The pair were members of the volunteer team during our most recent mission in Madaba, Jordan. Here they discuss everything that goes into delivering high-quality heath care for patients around the world and detail some of their most memorable mission moments. Watch the 12th episode of Behind the Smiles to learn more about these two women and their commitment to helping children born with cleft.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/O3Rz3irrSKo

Did you enjoy this episode? Are you enjoying our new series? Reach out and let us know what you think! This is the last episode of season 1. Stay tuned for updates on season 2.

For more information about our work, visit: https://www.operationsmile.org

Follow Operation Smile:

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Introducing Two Members of Our Guatemalan Team | Behind the Smiles Ep. 11 Jan 21, 2020

Show notes

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, staff members from Operation Smile Guatemala share why they chose this kind of work. Laura, executive director of Operation Smile Guatemala, and Maria, program coordinator, provide insight into the work being accomplished in the country while also discussing what it's like attending a medical mission in Guadalajara, Mexico, where this episode was recorded.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_wjlyZzX9tA

Did you enjoy this episode? Are you enjoying our new series? Reach out and let us know what you think! In the next episode, Child life specialist Nicole and electronic medical records team leader Jill sit down to talk about the comprehensive care each patient receives. We release a new episode every other Wednesday, the next one goes live Wednesday, February 5.

For more information about our work, visit: https://www.operationsmile.org

Follow Operation Smile:

Blog//https://www.operationsmile.org/blog

Facebook//https://www.facebook.com/operationsmile

Instagram//https://www.instagram.com/operationsmile

Twitter//https://twitter.com/operationsmile

An Inside Look at Our Work in the Middle East in the Last 20 Years: Behind the Smiles | Behind the Smiles Ep. 10 Jan 07, 2020

Show notes

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, Ramsey, regional adviser to the Middle East, and Fouzia, executive director of Operation Smile Morocco, explore the history of our organization in the region. At the time of their conversation, the pair were overseeing a medical mission and a medical education conference in Jordan. Fouzia and Ramsey share stories of milestone moments in the development of our presence in the Middle East and share insights into our plans to increase our impact in the future.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/pu6kGu06__g

Did you enjoy this episode? Are you enjoying our new series? Reach out and let us know what you think! In the next episode, Maria and Laura, staff members from Operation Smile Guatemala, explain why they chose this kind of work. We release a new episode every other Wednesday, the next one goes live Wednesday, January 22.

For more information about our work, visit: https://www.operationsmile.org

Follow Operation Smile:

Blog//https://www.operationsmile.org/blog

Facebook//https://www.facebook.com/operationsmile

Instagram//https://www.instagram.com/operationsmile

Twitter//https://twitter.com/operationsmile

Helping Ghanaian Children Overcome Physical and Social Barriers to Care | Behind the Smiles Ep. 9 Dec 24, 2019

Show notes

Ghanaian patient coordinators Clement and Emmanuel work with tireless dedication to find and transport children and adults born with cleft to our medical mission sites in Ghana. Not only do they help the patients they serve overcome physical and social barriers, they also spread awareness about the free, safe surgical care that Operation Smile provides. Watch this week's episode of Behind the Smiles to hear why the work they are accomplishing in Ghana is so crucial.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/rr0LjgN4Ztg

Did you enjoy this episode? Are you enjoying our new series? Reach out and let us know what you think! In the next episode, Fouzia and Ramsey share stories of milestone moments in the development of Operation Smile's presence in the Middle East. We release a new episode every other Wednesday, the next one goes live Wednesday, January 8.

For more information about our work, visit: https://www.operationsmile.org

Follow Operation Smile:

Blog//https://www.operationsmile.org/blog

Facebook//https://www.facebook.com/operationsmile

Instagram//https://www.instagram.com/operationsmile

Twitter//https://twitter.com/operationsmile

Why We Want To Help Everyone Access Life-Saving Surgery | Behind the Smiles Ep. 8 Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of Behind the Smiles, Regional Directors Morgan and Indiana talk about the work we're doing to improve access to safe surgery for individuals living with cleft and other surgically treatable conditions through our new safe surgery initiative.

Indiana shares local solutions that have worked in the countries she oversees: Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. Morgan details our partnership with a regional hospital in Madagascar and shares how lessons we've learned from that partnership have benefited the other countries she represents: Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Morgan and Indiana are excited to be creating a road map that other organizations can follow to improve access to surgery around the world.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/Xmr4TFAALf4

Did you enjoy this episode? Are you enjoying our new series? Reach out and let us know what you think! In the next episode, Ghanaian patient coordinators Clement and Emmanuel talk about why the work they are doing in Ghana is so crucial. We release a new episode every other Wednesday, the next one goes live Wednesday, Dec 25. Consider it a holiday gift to you!

For more information about our work, visit: https://www.operationsmile.org

Follow Operation Smile:

Blog//https://www.operationsmile.org/blog

Facebook//https://www.facebook.com/operationsmile

Instagram//https://www.instagram.com/operationsmile

Twitter//https://twitter.com/operationsmile

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Learn How We Create Hope For 300 Patients and Families During Missions | Behind the Smiles Ep. 7 Nov 27, 2019

Show notes

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, Flex from Madagascar and Lissel from Honduras talk about what it's like being a patient coordinator for Operation Smile. In most countries where we work, we either have a volunteer or staff coordinator for all logistical details necessary to find and transport patients to our medical mission sites.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/7f3X_LQ8KVc

Did you enjoy this episode? Are you enjoying our new series? Reach out and let us know what you think! In the next episode, Regional Directors Morgan and Indiana share how Operation Smile's new safe surgery initiative can help improve access to surgery around the world. We release a new episode every other Wednesday, the next one goes live Wednesday, Dec 11.

For more information about our work, visit: https://www.operationsmile.org

Follow Operation Smile:

Blog//https://www.operationsmile.org/blog

Facebook//https://www.facebook.com/operationsmile

Instagram//https://www.instagram.com/operationsmile

Twitter//https://twitter.com/operationsmile

What Does It Take to Manage Volunteers From Around the World? | Behind the Smiles Ep. 6 Nov 13, 2019

Show notes

In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, Diana Church, volunteer manager in Canada, and Hedde Lundgren, volunteer manager in Sweden, share their experiences. As staff members in our global family, they appreciate the passion brought by the volunteers they manage, and both work tirelessly to build long-lasting relationships. Watch to learn why volunteer managers are an essential part of providing safe surgery to children around the world.

Watch the full episode:https://youtu.be/2-hhIHi21FI

Did you enjoy this episode? Are you enjoying our new series? Reach out an let us know what you think! The next episode features Patient coordinators Flex and Lissel discussing what it takes to find and transport patients to medical mission sites. We release a new episode every other Wednesday, the next one goes live Wednesday, November 27.

For more information about our work, visit: https://www.operationsmile.org

Follow Operation Smile:

Blog//https://www.operationsmile.org/blog

Facebook//https://www.facebook.com/operationsmile

Instagram//https://www.instagram.com/operationsmile

Twitter//https://twitter.com/operationsmile

What Makes Operation Smile Different From Other Nonprofit Organizations? | Behind the Smiles Ep. 5 Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

Pediatrician Dr. Shadi Alsmadi says, “This is not just one surgery and, ‘Goodbye.’” In this week's episode of Behind the Smiles, we caught up with two volunteers in the post-anesthesia care unit during our medical mission in Madaba, Jordan. Field Medical Director and pediatrician Dr. Peter Radell of Sweden and pediatrician Dr. Shadi Alsmadi of Jordan discuss the unique challenges children born with cleft conditions can face when accessing care in the Middle East.

The pair are longtime volunteers with our organization and with others including Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children. Watch their discussion to hear their perspectives on why the ongoing care we provide is so important in the Middle East and around the world.

Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8J86K_NUDU

Did you enjoy this episode? Are you enjoying our new series? Reach out an let us know what you think! The next episode features Volunteer Mangers Diana and Hedde sharing their perspectives on why volunteer managers are an essential part of Operation Smile's mission. We release a new episode every other Wednesday, the next one goes live Wednesday, November 13.

For more information about our work, visit: https://www.operationsmile.org

Follow Operation Smile:

Blog//https://www.operationsmile.org/blog

Facebook//https://www.facebook.com/operationsmile

Instagram//https://www.instagram.com/operationsmile

Twitter//https://twitter.com/operationsmile

Learn How We Give High-Quality Care to Every Child | Behind the Smile Ep. 4 Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

We sat down with two longtime Operation employees, Ruben Ayala and Ann Campbell. Ruben serves as our Chief Medical Office, CMO and Ann is the senior director of medical oversight. Both Ann and Ruben started off as volunteer with the organization and now they each work tirelessly to bring our patients the highest quality of care. In this episode of Behind the Smiles, the pair shares stories of their first medical missions, insight into their jobs, and so much more.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/ZYCGUwPS2cs

Did you enjoy this episode? Are you enjoying our new series? Reach out an let us know what you think! The next episode features Pediatrician Dr. Peter Radell of Sweden and Pediatrician Dr. Shadi Alsmadi of Jordan discussing the unique challenges children born with cleft conditions face when accessing care in the Middle East. We release a new episode every other Wednesday, the next one goes live Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019.

For more information about our work, visit: https://www.operationsmile.org

Follow Operation Smile:

Blog//https://www.operationsmile.org/blog

Facebook//https://www.facebook.com/operationsmile

Instagram//https://www.instagram.com/operationsmile

Twitter//https://twitter.com/operationsmile

After 30 Missions, Learn What Keeps Them Coming Back | Behind the Smiles Ep. 3 Oct 02, 2019

Show notes

We caught up with long-time volunteers Lorena and Kristi during our medical mission in Guadalajara, Mexico, earlier this year. Lorena served as the electronic medical records team leader and Kristi was a member of the pre and post operative nursing team. This couple lives in Fresno, California, but they have traveled across the globe donating their time and expertise to help children in need of life-changing surgery. In this conversation, they share some of their fondest memories from the more than 30 medical missions they have participated in. They told us they plan to continue volunteering for as long as they can. Listen to their conversation now to hear what it is that keeps them coming back.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/rJPFDMaj_jY

We created this series so you can get to know more about the people working behind the scenes at Operation Smile. We will release a new episode every other Wednesday so subscribe to our podcast so you don't miss a thing!

Follow Operation Smile:

Blog//https://www.operationsmile.org/blog

Facebook//https://www.facebook.com/operationsmile

Instagram//https://www.instagram.com/operationsmile

Twitter//https://twitter.com/operationsmile

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