The doctors at Children's ENT and Facial Plastic Surgery are committed to international outreach. Volunteering our time and sharing our skills and expertise with other physicians and health care professionals around the globe helps improve the quality of medical care for all the people of the world.

Vietnam

Dr. Sidman has joined the International Pediatric Specialists Alliance for Children of Vietnam (IPSAC-VN) for two surgical teaching visits to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

In the spring of 2011, Dr. Sidman and our 2010-11 pediatric otolaryngology fellow, Dr. Jon Grischkan, taught complex surgical techniques to Vietnamese surgeons at the 1500-bed Children’s Hospital #1, focusing on facial reconstruction and head and neck tumors.

In the spring of 2012, Dr. Sidman returned along with one of the senior otolaryngology residents from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Brianne Roby.

Liberia

In January 2008, Dr. Sidman led a team of doctors to Phebe, Liberia. Ravaged by years of civil war, most of Liberia’s infrastructure had been destroyed, and the need for medical attention was indeed great. In the two weeks that Dr. Sidman's team was there, they provided basic medical care to over 200 residents, performed 60 surgeries, and held numerous lectures for local medical providers.

Since that first trip, Dr. Lander has led 2 teams of doctors (in early 2011 and early 2012) to Duside, Liberia. Along with two other surgeons from Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Dr. Lander has been training the chief of surgery at Firestone Hospital in Duside, Dr. Lawrence Sherman, in cleft lip and palate surgery. Drs. David Vandersteen (pediatric urology) and Dr. Steven Muehlstadt (pediatric surgery) are providing similar training to the surgeons at Duside. Dr. Lander is planning to lead a surgical team back to Liberia in 2013. The ultimate goal of these trips is to give the local surgeons the tools, training, and knowledge to perform these surgeries on their own in order to better serve their countrymen. The hand-carved plaque was given to Dr. Lander by Dr. Sherman at the conclusion of the 2012 trip.

Mexico

All of our doctors have travelled to Hermosillo, Mexico over the past 8 years. Doctor Sidman has been there once, Dr. Lander and Dr. Tibesar have each travelled there three times.

Since 2005, our doctors have collaborated with St. Andrew's Clinic in Nogales, Arizona and CIMA Hospital in Hermosillo, Mexico to provide surgical care for children and adults with cleft lip and palate. Our surgical teams have performed over 300 surgical procedures that improve the social acceptance and quality of life for the children living in our neighbor to the south.

Our former fellow Dr. Jonathan Grischkan will be leading the team back to Hermosillo in October 2012.

Our goal is to develop an interdisciplanary cleft team that mirrors the state-of-the-art care that our patients are fortunate to recieve here in the United States of America.

Ecuador

In August of 2011, Dr. Lander joined an international team of doctors working with Medical Missions for Children and travelled to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Working at the Hospital Padre Corollo, the team of doctors from Boston, New York, England, and Ireland performed surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates.

It just so happened that this was the first international cleft mission for our former fellow, Dr. Andrew Scott. Dr. Lander took great pride in working side-by-side one of our former trainees and witnessing first hand the excellent quality of training that Dr. Scott recieved while here in Minnesota.

Ghana

What a success story!

In 2004 and 2005, Dr. Sidman led surgical teams to the Komfo Anochi Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. The effort began with a simple idea—to help the children of Ghana by repairing cleft lips and cleft palates. But Dr. Sidman and his hand-picked team of cleft surgeons trained by our surgeons at Children's ENT and Facial Plastic Surgery found a golden opportunity. They discovered a group of talented, local Ghanaian surgeons who were interested in learning cleft surgery.

In three short years, the local surgeons were so well trained by our teams that they were comfortable performing cleft lip and palate surgery by themselves.

In fact, they have been so successful that some of the original surgeons brought to Ghana by Dr. Sidman have continued to travel there in order to expand the surgical expertise of the local community. In recent years, these surgeons have focused on teaching the local ears, nose, and throat physicians. This training will allow the Ghanaian's to care for their citizens without the need for outside assistance.

Peru

Dr. Sidman and Dr. Lander have both travelled to Peru many times over the years.

In each year from 2003 through 2005, they participated in surgical missions to Honorio Delgado Hospital in the southern Andean mountain city of Arequipa, Peru.

In 2009, Dr. Lander led a team back to Peru—this time to the northern coastal city of Chiclayo. This trip was hosted by the warm caregivers at Las Mercedes Hospital. As in most of our international work, these trips focussed primarily on surgical treatment for children born with cleft lip and palate. More than 400 surgeries were performed on these trips.

Bangladesh

In January of 2013, Dr. Lander led a team of surgeons to Rangpur, Bangladesh. This surgical team included two of our former fellows, Dr. Andrew Scott from Floating Hospital for Children and Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts and Dr. Rajanya Petersson from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Rangpur is one of the major cities in Bangladesh and is considered as the center of northwestern Bangladesh. There are a number of capable surgeons in the region who trained with our surgeons to learn the skills necessary to repair cleft lips and palates.

In a fortunate and happy coincidence, Dr. Petersson's extended family lives in the region of Bangladesh near Rangpur. She enjoyed her first trip back to Bangladesh since she was a teenager and was excited about the opportunity to share her knowledge with this community and continue educating the local surgeons.