April 2006

 Dr. Steven Roser Leads Surgical Mission to Ecuador

From April 22-30, 2006, Dr. Steven Roser, chief of the division of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Emory, led a volunteer team of 38 surgeons, anesthesiologists, pediatric dentists and other medical personnel on a mission to Guaranda, Ecuador. Working with the staff at the local facility Hospital Alfredo Noboa Montenegro, the team provided dental services; surgically repaired children’s cleft lip and cleft palate deformities; and corrected strabismis, congenital ptosis and other ophthalmologic conditions. The stateside sponsor was Healing the Children-Northeast, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing health care to disadvantaged children worldwide, and the Ecuadorian host agency was El Cielo Para Los Ninos.

The team included various Emory faculty and staff, such as Drs. Martin Steed, Amy Hutchinson, Robert Bernardino, Adrianne Ruth, Anna Murchison, Mehran Mehrabi and Glenn Maron, as well as additional volunteers from New York, New Jersey, California, Indiana, Illinois and Florida. Thirty of the team members had traveled with Dr. Roser on past missions.

Of the 400 children screened by the team, 55 received surgery and 60 qualified for dental treatment. Team surgeons used four operating tables in three ORs and four anesthesia machines, two of which were on loan. Since the hospital didn't have enough beds to cope with the increased patient population, additional beds and mattresses had to be brought in by El Cielo. The foundation also arranged for food and lodging for the patients and their families while they were in Guaranda.

Since becoming a team leader for Healing the Children in 1991, Dr. Roser has made many trips to Central and South America, often returning to the same locations for follow-up care. His original intention of returning to Machala, Ecuador, in 2006, the site of the previous year's mission, was precluded by major construction delays at the region's hospital. Doctors in Guaranda had been requesting a team for some time, and after a series of discussions the centuries-old city located 9000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains was designated as the substitute site. In addition to Guaranda, the Hospital Montenegro serves a large region in the Province de Bolivar. Many of the team's patients traveled anywhere from 12 hours to one-to-two days to get to the hospital. Although the region is relatively quiet, a squad of Ecuadorian troops was assigned to provide security for the team and to help move supplies, beds and other equipment.

Dr. Ivan Zambrano, the Ecuadorian Minister of Health, visited the team on their last day and thanked them for their efforts. The Provincial Council also passed a resolution honoring the team for their work on behalf of the children of Ecuador.

Fund raising activities for the mission were undertaken by team members and their friends and included solicitation from friends and family, employers, vendors and religious groups as well as the raffling of a new Harley Davidson motorcycle autographed by Nextel Racing Series drivers. Medical supplies for the undertaking were donated by numerous organizations, including Ethicon, Cardinal Health, KLS Martin, WS Lorenz Surgical, the Department of Anesthesiology of Columbia University and Emory Healthcare.

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