When in 2022, American reconstructive and maxillofacial surgeons first arrived in Ukraine, their goal was to help children who needed complex surgical interventions. Among the patients were children with cleft lips and palates, craniofacial syndromes, complex facial deformities, and other congenital developmental disorders.
Over three years, the international medical mission has transformed into something much more than a series of charitable operations. It has become a platform for knowledge transfer, the development of Ukrainian specialists, and the formation of one of the strongest multidisciplinary teams of children’s reconstructive surgery in Ukraine.
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What is the uniqueness of the mission model
Treating children with complex craniofacial disorders is impossible with the efforts of one specialist. To achieve the result, the work of a whole team is needed: maxillofacial surgeons, orthodontists, dentists, ENT doctors, anesthesiologists, neonatologists, speech therapists, and nurses.
That’s why international missions have been built around a team approach from the very beginning, rather than individual operations. During each visit, Ukrainian and American doctors together consulted patients, discussed clinical cases, planned interventions, and worked side by side in the operating room.
Such a format allowed for the transfer of knowledge directly during the treatment of the most complex patients, and most importantly, the formation of a shared culture of multidisciplinary work.
How it all began
One of the key centers for the development of the program was the Center for Children’s Medicine in Lviv. It was here that American surgeons Steve Orten and Craig Gober first arrived, supported by philanthropist Edward Ma, founder of the Ed’s Friends foundation. The doctors represented the international organization LEAP Global Missions, which implements reconstructive surgical missions in various countries around the world.
After the first visit, the team began to grow rapidly. Steve Orten involved colleagues from leading medical centers in the United States, who came to Ukraine to work with Ukrainian specialists. Over three years, more than twenty international experts have joined the program.
Later, the missions went far beyond one hospital. Today, they take place in Lviv, Kyiv, and Cherkasy, and assistance is received not only by children with congenital developmental disorders but also by civilian and military patients with severe injuries sustained as a result of the war.
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Results that remain after the mission is completed
During the implementation of the children’s direction of Reconstruction Mission, twelve international missions were conducted, 1,215 consultations, 299 complex operations, and 32 individual implants were manufactured.
Initially, Ukrainian doctors mostly observed the work of international colleagues and assisted during operations. Today, they independently perform a significant part of complex reconstructive interventions and act as equal partners of international teams.
“When we first arrived, Ukrainian colleagues were not sure they would be able to do this themselves. Today, they perform surgery at a world level,” says Steve Orten, a representative of LEAP Global Missions.
From acquiring knowledge to exporting it
The result of long-term cooperation was that Ukrainian specialists began to participate in international missions as equal participants.
Today, doctors who developed their skills within the program in Ukraine work in international teams in Belize, Peru, Zimbabwe, and Guatemala. This demonstrates the recognition of their expertise at the international level and shows that the mentorship model creates a long-term effect that goes beyond a single country.
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Formation of a multidisciplinary team in Lviv
One of the most important results of the program was the creation of a permanent multidisciplinary team in Lviv for the treatment of children with complex craniofacial disorders.
“Today, specialists from the Center for Children’s Medicine and the Dental Medical Center of the Lviv National Medical University work as a single team. They accompany the patient from the first consultation to the completion of treatment, jointly plan interventions, and coordinate all stages of care,” adds Christina Pogranichnaya, a maxillofacial surgeon at the Center for Children’s Medicine and a participant in the mission.
The team includes maxillofacial surgeons, orthodontists, dentists, ENT doctors, neonatologists, anesthesiologists, speech therapists, and other specialists. Today, this is one of the few models in Ukraine that provides a full cycle of treatment for children with complex congenital disorders within a single multidisciplinary approach.
The next step is to scale the model
The latest missions already include a new component — the involvement of young doctors as observers in consultations and operations. This allows for the transfer of knowledge to the next generation of specialists and ensures the continuity of team development.
In the opinion of the organizers, the main achievement of the program is that international missions have become a tool for the development of the medical system.
“Reconstruction Mission has shown that international missions can become a tool for the development of the medical system. In Lviv, this model is already working. The next stage is to scale the experience and help form strong multidisciplinary teams in other regions of Ukraine,” says Rudolf Mygovych, head of the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine.
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