The visiting educator program is an essential component of ReSurge International’s commitment to creating sustainability in the delivery of reconstructive surgical care to the world’s poor. Through this program, expert volunteer medical professionals travel to developing countries to provide direct, hands-on training for local medical personnel who work with the poor. Multiple factors, including high financial costs and language barriers, prevent international medical colleagues from coming to the United States for advanced surgical training.

A linchpin in our efforts to build surgical capacity and increase access to medical care, the visiting educator program delivers education and training directly where it is needed. The week-long workshops include classroom teaching with lectures, educational materials and question-and-answer sessions, as well as the very important opportunity to observe and participate in supervised hands-on surgical care in the operating room.

The reconstructive surgery training topics are critical to our work in the developing world, and include hand surgery, burn reconstruction, microsurgery and advanced cleft techniques, as well as anesthesia, nursing, orthodontics and physical and hand therapy. Hundreds of local medical personnel each year receive advanced skills training from ReSurge’s visiting educators, creating a committed corps of local, trained professionals providing care to the poor. Click here for the current schedule of workshops.