PCRF - Plastic Surgery

Medical Missions: Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is a specialty in great need in the Middle East. There are too few, or in some areas no, plastic surgeons working in the areas most in need. As a result, the PCRF has been responding to this crisis by organizing, sponsoring and sending plastic surgery missions to the region. The purpose of these missions is to provide free plastic and reconstructive surgery for injured youths in need of care not available to them locally, as well as help train local medical personnel.The following are plastic surgery missions that were sponsored and run by the PCRF:

Plastic Surgeon returns to Lebanon to treat refugees
On July 4, Dr. Hisham Ammous, a plastic surgeon from Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, returned to Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajnah refugee camp in Beirut to treat burned and injured Palestinian refugees. Dr. Ammous has led several plastic surgery missions to Lebanon to treat Palestinians over the past few years through the PCRF, including a mission last February. 22 patients had plastic surgery through Dr. Ammous at the PRCS hospital, and dozens more were screened for medical referrals. Dr. Ammous is also treating Palestinians patients throughout the West Bank through a PCRF program, as there are hundreds of children with burns and other deformities that require plastic surgery. There are no Palestinian plastic surgeons working in Lebanon, and a significant shortage in the West Bank.

American plastic surgery team treats burned children in Jericho
On March 8, a 4-member American plastic surgery team from Florida and Ohio arrived in the West Bank town of Jericho for a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery on burned children. Led by Dr. Randy Smith from Augusta, GA, the team also included anesthesiologist Dr. Deanna Asad from Cinncinati and nurse anesthetist Christine Schuckmann, as well as nurse assistant Rebecca Smith. After screening more than 100 patients on March 8th, the team started operating on Sunday, March 9 and will work the full week to ensure that as many burned and disabled people get the care that they need. Both Dr. Randy Smith and Dr. Deanna Asad volunteered on PCRF surgery missions in 2007.

Italian plastic surgery team treats
burned children in Gaza
On February 21, a six member team of doctors and nurses from Bergamo, Italy arrived in the Gaza Strip to start a week-long mission in treating burned and injured youths at the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Led by Dr. Enrico Robotti, the chief of plastic surgery in Bergamo, the team included surgeons Dr. Luca Ortelli and Dr. Bernardo Righi, as well as anesthesia doctor Alberto Benigni. Two nurses -- Isabella Pesenti and Sara Ferrari. Dr. Robotti and Dr. Ortelli have both been to Palestine through the PCRF several times in the past, and the rest of the team were also treating children in Gaza three years ago. On Friday, the 22nd, 162 patients were screened by the mission, and 48 selected for surgery. The mission comes at a time when the siege in Gaza is increasingly effecting the medical health services. Electricity has been cut during several operations, and many basic materials are not available. Despite this, the team has been warmly welcomed by the local community for coming during these difficult days, despite all of the problems.

Palestinian, Japanese surgeons treat
burned children in Lebanon
On February 4, Dr. Hisham Ammous, chief of plastic surgery at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, went to Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajnah refugee camp in Beirut to treat burned and injured Palestinian refugees on a voluntary basis. This is Dr. Ammous' eight mission to Lebanon through the PCRF over the past few years to treat refugee children. Joining him two days later was Dr. Diachi Morioka, a plastic surgeon working with the Japan Palestine Medical Association, on his first surgical mission with the PCRF. They treated more than 20 burned and injured children and prepared many more for future surgery. Dr. Ammous is also operating on PCRF children in the West Bank through a special program to provide care for children who need care in the local hospitals. Over 100 children had surgery in the West Bank in 2007 through this project.

French Hand Surgery Program continues training in Gaza
On December 18, an 8-member team of hand surgeons from France, England and Spain arrived in the Gaza Strip for a week of screening patients, teaching local doctors and operating on a few children in need of surgery. Despite coming during the Eid holidays, the team worked for the week, particularly to give exams to young doctors working for certification in hand surgery. The mission was led by Dr. Christophe Oberlin and Dr. Christophe Denantes, and was in cooperation with the French Consulate in East Jerusalem.

American plastic surgery mission visits Tulkarem
On December 2nd, a 4-member plastic surgery team from the University of North Carolina arrived in the West Bank town of Tulkarem to start a week of cleft lip and palate surgery on children with facial deformities. Led by surgeon Dr. John van Aalst, the team included anesthesiologist Dr. Ron Herring, ENT surgeon Dr. Josh Demke and dental surgeon Dr. Bilal Saib. After screening nearly 100 children from all over the West Bank, the team started operating on December 3rd and will continue through the week, until the Cleft Conference in Ramallah on December 9.

Swiss plastic surgery mission treats children in Gaza
On December 2, a 4-man team of surgeons from Switzerland arrived in the Gaza town of Khan Younis to start a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery on burned and deformed children who cannot be treated locally. The team included Dr. Walter Kunzi, Dr. Abdul Jandali, Dr. Johannes Kuttenberger, and OR nurse Baerbel Costabile. The team screened dozens of injured and deformed children and started surgery on December 3rd. This is Dr. Knuzi's third mission to Gaza through the PCRF and his second one in 2007.

Plastic surgery program in the West Bank
Since last Spring, the PCRF has been working with Dr. Hisham Ammous, a Palestinian plastic surgeon at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, to treat burned children in the West Bank. While the PCRF has been sending surgeons to do plastic surgeon from abroad, the number of children in need of treatment far exceeds the number we can help through visiting foreign missions. As a result, we have been sponsoring clinics for Dr. Ammous throughout the West Bank and paying for surgery in local hospitals near where the children live, or the more difficult cases, arranging for them to be transferred for surgery in Makassed. The objective of this program is to provide reconstructive surgery on all kids who otherwise would not get the care that they need locally. This program has already provided several dozen burned children surgery at no cost to the families, and hundreds more are being identified and scheduled for care. We would like to thank all of our supporters for making this project a success, and we are planning to expand this effort into the orthopedic field as well.

American plastic surgery Teams Treat children in Tulkarem, Jenin
On September 1, the PCRF brought two American surgeons from the US, as well as a support team, to Palestine to provide free plastic and reconstructive surgery on burned children, as well as those suffering from birth defects. One team went to Thabet Hospital in Tulkarem. Led by Dr. Bill Riley of Operation Rainbow, the team included resident surgeon Dr. Mazen Bedri from John Hopkins University in Baltimore, anesthesia technician Dr. Xiao Shuprobst and scrub nurse Silvia Amy Korenek, both from Texas. In Jenin, Dr. Mike Parker, a plastic surgeon at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio and Dr. Paul Meyer, an anesthesia physician from Iowa, operated on children with burns as well as cleft lips and palates at the Jenin government hospital. Dr. Riley, Dr. Parker, and Dr. Meyer have all volunteered through the PCRF in the past.

Swiss plastic surgery team starts work in Gaza
On May 13, a 4-member team of plastic surgeons arrived from Switzerland to start a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Led by Dr. Walter Kunzi, who led a mission to the same institution last November, the team also included plastic surgeons Dr. Volker Wedler, Dr. Florian Jung and nurse Barbel Costabile. They started screening children in southern Gaza, seeing over 90 burned and disfigured youths and choosing 30 patients for surgery. Plastic and reconstructive surgery is badly needed in the Gaza Strip and this project will provide services for the most marginalized people in Palestinian society, which are those poor people living in the southern Gaza area of Khan Younis and Rafah.

New project to treat children in Palestine
On April 6, the PCRF launched a new initiative in the Jenin and Tulkarem areas to provide surgery for children with burns and orthopedic disorders. These are children who can be treated by local surgeons at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, but who lack the resources to get this care locally. Working with surgeons Dr. Hisham Ammous, a plastic surgeon, and Dr. Rustom Nammeri, an orthopedic surgeon, the PCRF is screening children in the north, and then will cover their surgery costs and administrative logistical support to get them the care that they need. There are hundreds of burned and other injured or disabled children in the northern West Bank in need of care. The PCRF is arranging their care through surgery missions by volunteer teams, but there are still many other kids in need of such care.

Palestinian surgeon holds clinic in Lebanon
On Februry 22, Dr. Hiham Ammous, a plastic surgeon from Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, returned to Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajnah refugee camp in Beirut to treat Palestinian refugees in need of plastic and reconstructive surgery. He has made several missions to Lebanon through the PCRF over the past few years and is the only plastic surgeon providing humanitarian services on a regular basis for the refugee population there.

American plastic surgeons treat burned children in Jericho
On January 13, Dr. Randy Smith, a plastic surgeon, and Dr. Chip Story, anesthesia from Augusta, Georgia arrived in Palestine for a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery on burned and injured children from the West Bank. Working at the New Jericho Hospital, they screened 130 children for surgery and began operating on January 14. It is their first mission to Palestine with the PCRF.

Swiss plastic surgery team in Gaza
On December 17, 2006 a 3-member team of plastic surgeons from Switzerland arrived in Gaza for a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Led by surgeon Dr. Walter Kunzi, the team also included surgeon Dr. Abdul Rahman Jandali and nurse Barbel Constabile. They are treating children suffering burns and injuries, as well as birth defects.

Palestinian plastic surgeon treats refugees in embattled Beirut
On July 11, 2006 Dr. Hisham Ammous, a plastic surgeon from Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, traveled to Beirut for a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery on poor refugees in the Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajnah refugee camp. This was his second mission to Beirut in 2006 and his sixth mission to Lebanon through the PCRF overall. There are no plastic surgeons in Lebanon treating the Palestinian refugee population, which is over 300,000 people. Despite the Israeli attacks on Beirut and Lebanon, Dr. Ammous continued to operate on poor refugees in need.

Plastic Surgeon returns to Palestine
On May 27, 2006, Dr. Samir Ibrahim, a Palestinian plastic surgeon working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and holding a Polish passport, traveled for the second time in a year to the West Bank for a week of volunteer plastic surgery. Working at Al Ahli Hospital in the West Bank city of Hebron, he screened dozens of children for surgery and operated on over two dozen children with burns or congenital malformations. Last June, Dr. Samir Ibrahim worked in Rafidiah Hospital in Nablus and treated 30 children there. The PCRF has hundreds of burned children on a waiting list for surgery in Palestine and we have several other plastic surgery missions scheduled in the future.

Maxillofacial mission treats over 50 patients in Nablus
On May 22nd, 2006, a 6-member team of maxillofacial surgeons went to Rafidiah Hospital in Nablus for a week of surgery. The team included surgeons Professors Javier De La Fuente and Rafa Ruiz Rodrigues along with Dr. Juan Carlos Lopez Noriega from the University of Mexico, along with Dr. Khaled Abughazaleh from the University of Illinois. They were supported by Dr. Hussein Abu Khudair, chief of anesthesiology at the King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan, and OR nurse Amal Jubran from Harrisburgh, PA. This was the second mission in maxillofacial surgery by this team in the past year. At the end of last November, they treated several dozen patients during a week-long mission. This was the first PCRF mission to a ministry of health hospital since the PCRF received a year-long license from the Dept. of Treasury to continue to treat patients in public Palestinian hospitals. 56 patients had surgery on this mission.

Kuwaiti-Palestinian hand surgeon treats refugees in Lebanon
On April 24, 2006, Dr. Husam Basheer, a hand surgeon in Lebanon, traveled to Lebanon for a week of treating Palestinian refugees in the Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajnah refugee camp in Beirut. Working as a volunteer, Dr. Basheer provided care for patients who do not have access to such specialized care locally. His mission will enable him to treat dozens of patients in need of treatment.

Italian plastic surgery team returns to Khan Younis
On December 2, 2005, a 6-member team of plastic surgeons and nurses from Bergamo, Italy traveled to the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza for a week of extensive surgery on children with burns and other deformities. This was the third mission to Palestine by this team, which is led by surgeons Dr. Enrico Robotti and Dr. Luca Ortelli, and included two nurses and an anesthesiologist. Arriving on Friday afternoon, the team screened 20 children in the evening and started surgery Saturday morning.

Maxillofacial surgery team goes to Nablus
On November 25th, 2005, a 6-member team of volunteer surgeons and anesthesiologist went to the West Bank city of Nablus for a week of maxillofacial surgery at the Rafidiah government hospital. The team was led by Professor Rafael Roriguez Ruiz Juan Carlos López Noriega from the University of Mexico, and Dr. Juan Carlos López Noriega. The team also included Dr. Khaled Abughazaleh from the University of Illinois, Dr. Hussein Bushnaq from Dubai, Dr. Zakaria Messieh from the University of Illinois, and Dr. Omar Durra from Cedars Sinai Hospital in LA. Surgery list |see spanish story

Plastic surgery mission to Gaza
In late September, 2005, a 4-member team of American plastic surgeons and nurses went to Palestine to perform aweek of plastic surgery in the Gaza Strip. The mission was led by Dr. Zaheer Shah, a plastic surgeon from Canton, Ohio who led a team to Palestine for the PCRF in September 2004. A day later, his team arrived in Israel, but were prevented from entering Gaza to join Dr. Shah due to the recent spat of violence in Gaza and the closure of the border there by the Israelis. Dr. Shah was able to enter Gaza on Friday, the 23rd, and began operating on children in the European Hospital in Khan Younis.

Plastic Surgery mission to Hebron
On September 10, 2005, a three-member team of plastic surgeons and a nurse went to the the West Bank town of Hebron for a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery on children born with birth defects, or suffering from burns. This was part of the PCRF program in dealing with the lack of plastic surgery care in Palestine. The PCRF also had teams the same week in Tulkarem and Jenin, and all were organized with Operation Rainbow USA. The Hebron team included Dr. Richard Bosshardt, Dr. Dennis Lynch and Richard Fowler, an OR nurse.

Plastic surgery mission in Tulkarem
On September 10, 2005, a 4-member team of doctors and nurses sent by the PCRF went to Tulkarem government hospital in the West Bank to treat burned and deformed children in need of care not available to them locally. This was the first foreign humanitarian mission to Tulkarem and is in cooperation with Operation Rainbow USA, led by its president Dr. Bill Riley. Also included in this team are Dr. Dave Smith and Dr. Mazin Bedri, as well as scrub nurse Kendra Fowler. See surgery list

Plastic surgery team goes to Jenin
On September 10th, 2005, a three-member team went to Jenin hospital to start a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery on children in need of care not available to them locally. The team included Dr. Hussein Abu Khudair, (anesthesia), Amal Jubran, (OR nurse) and Dr. Mike Parker, a plastic surgeon from Ohio. All of them have been on PCRF missions in the past and were part of a larger team that was also working in Tulkarem and Hebron. See surgery list

Palestinian surgeon returns to Lebanon to treat refugees
On July 26th, 2005, the PCRF sent back Dr. Hisham Ammous, a plastic surgeon from Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem to Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajnah refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. This was the fourth mission to Lebanon by Dr. Ammous, who treated Palestinian refugees in Lebanon with burns and other deformities that need plastic and reconstructive surgery. In the mid-1990s, the PCRF sponsored a training program in plastic surgery in the USA for Dr. Ammous, and his continued efforts in Lebanon enable poor and disenfranchised refugees in Lebanon, who don't have access to the same services as Lebanese, care they otherwise would not get. There are no plastic surgery services for refugees in Lebanon. See list of cases

Plastic surgeon treats children in Nablus
On June 11th, 2005, Dr. Samir Abu Ghosh, a Palestinian plastic surgeon working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, went to Rafidiah Hospital in Nablus for a week of providing plastic and reconstructive surgery on children in need of such care. There currently are no plastic surgeons working in the northern West Bank and there are many children in need of such care. This was part of an ongoing effort by the PCRF to provide such services where they currently are lacking. Dr. Samir Abu Ghosh screened children on June 11th and started surgery on June 12th, providing a variety of services, such as skin grafts and releases of contractures, closures of cleft lips and palates and other services otherwise not available. This was the fourth plastic surgery mission to Palestine in 2005 through the PCRF, and several more are planned for the second half of the year. View surgery list

European cleft lip and palate mission to Hebron
On May 5th, 2005, Dr. Brigitte Winkler, a pediatric surgeon from Switzerland, and Dr. Maria Hermsen, an anesthesiologist from Germany, went to the West Bank town of Hebron for a week of providing children cleft lip and palate operations which are otherwise not available due to the lack of specialists in plastic surgery. On May 6th, over 80 children were screened for surgery, and on Saturday, May 7th, the team started operating on children born with facial disfigurements. This was the second mission to Palestine by Dr. Winkler in the last year, as she also led a mission to Hebron and Ramallah in December, 2004. The PCRF has brought several plastic surgery missions to Palestine in the past few years to address the problem of cleft lip and palate deformities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Palestinian surgeon returns from treating refugees in Lebanon
On February 13, 2005, Dr. Hisham Ammous went back to Jerusalem following a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery in Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut. This was the third mission by Dr. Ammous to Lebanon to treat Palestinian refugees in 2005. He was sent by the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, a local NGO in Ramallah who is addressing the surgical needs of Palestinian children throughout the Middle East. The PCRF has brought pediatric cardiac surgery, plastic surgery, ENT, vascular surgery, pediatric orthopedic surgery, a pediatric cardiologist and a shipment of wheelchairs to Nablus in the past month, in addition to sending Dr. Ammous to Lebanon. "There are no plastic surgery services in Lebanon for the Palestinian refugees, so many of them go untreated until someone from outside is able to go and help them," Dr. Ammous explains. "It is a great pleasure to be able to help these very poor people, who have suffered so much and are forgotten by everyone." Dr. Ammous is the head of plastic surgery at Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital on the Mount of Olives and runs the burn unit there. "I hope that I can continue to provide my people the care that they need, whether it is in here or in Lebanon. They are human beings and deserve the best care possible."

Plastic surgery team in Jenin
On February 8th, 2005, The PCRF sent a team of plastic surgeons to Jenin government hospital for a week of plastic and reconstructive surgery on burned and deformed youths who otherwise cannot get the care that they need. The surgeon was Dr. Cary Canoun from the University of Virginia and the anesthesiologist was Dr. Hussein Abu Khadir from the King Hussein Cancer Institute in Amman, Jordan. Both were volunteers working through the PCRF. This was the second plastic surgery mission to Jenin hospital in the past six months, as the PCRF sent Dr. Mike Parker from Akron Children's Hospital to Jenin in September, 2004.

Plastic surgery team treats patients in Ramallah
On January 28th, 2005, A 5-member team of surgeons from Europe and the USA went to Ramallah Hospital to treat children with cleft lip and palate deformities. Led by Dr. Mark Ray from Arkansas, the team included surgeon Dr. Greham Richter, who works with Mark in the USA; Dr. Karl Theis, who is a German anesthesiologist; a Dutch anesthesiologist named Dr. Lonneke Bergmanns and American OR nurse Brandy Montes. The team treated nearly 40 children born with this facial deformity. "I am very happy working in Ramallah Hosptial and helping to provide medical care for needy children in Palestine," Dr. Ray said. This was his second trip to Palestine since 2004, when he treated 30 children in Ramallah Hospital. "I enjoy working with the staff there, as they work hard and are very dedicated to their patients. The local doctors are doing a good job and we like their efforts. Dr. Mohammed Kayem is a good surgeon and we hope that we can continue to work with this hospital to treat more children in the future." The PCRF has several other medical missions coming in February 2005. See surgery list

American plastic surgery team treats children in Southern Gaza
On December 4th, a 4-member American plastic surgery team went to the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza for a week of cleft lip and cleft palate surgery on children who could not be treated locally. Led by Professor Zaheer Shah from Canton, Ohio, the team also included
anesthesiologist Dr. Paul Meyer and surgical nurse David Kutlina, as well as OR nurse Janet Kovacs. The team scheduled 26 operations in 5 days and were all volunteers.

ORC team helps children with burns, deformities in Lebanon
On November 27th, a team of doctors and nurses from Operation Rainbow Canada traveled to Lebanon to perform complex plastic and reconstructive surgery on refugee children with burns and deformities. The ORC team worked for one week and was able perform 50 surgeries, while also providing expert screening for an additional 100 patients. This was the PCRF's third plastic surgery mission in Lebanon this year as we are hoping to compensate for the enoumous need for plastic surgeons there. The last plastic surgery mission was held in July by Dr. Hisham Ammous. See ORC team's surgery list

American plastic surgeon treats children in Jenin Hospital
During the week of September 20, 2004, Dr. Mike Parker, a plastic surgeon from Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio, treated children in the Jenin Government Hospital in the northern West Bank. Working one day first with the American team in Rafidiah Hospital, he then moved to Jenin, where many children with deformities and other problems needing plastic surgery were treated under his expert care.

American plastic surgery team in Nablus
The Week of September 20, 2004 an American plastic surgery team treated patients at the Rafidiah Hospital in Nablus. Led by Dr. Bill Riley, head of Operation Rainbow in Houston, and Dr. Rick Bosshardt from Florida, the two surgeons treated dozens of burned and injured youths who otherwise would not get the care that they need. >>>Read More

Swiss surgeon treats children in Hebron, Ramallah
On August 29th, 2004 Dr. Brigitte Winkler, a plastic surgeon from Switzerland, traveled to Palestine for two weeks of volunteer surgery on children suffering from cleft lip and cleft palates. Dr. Winkler worked the first week at the Ahli Hospital in Hebron, where she peformed surgery on about six children a day. She then went to Ramallah Hospital on September 4th for another week of surgery. This was the second mission in 2004 by the PCRF to treat children with cleft lip and cleft palates in the West Bank. See cases treated | See before and after photo

Palestinian surgeon sent to treat refugees in Lebanon
On July 4th, 2004 the PCRF sent Dr. Hisham Ammous to Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajnah refugee camp in Lebanon. Dr. Ammous is a plastic surgeon at Makassed Hospital in East Jeruaslem, and was on a previous mission to Beirut with the PCRF and Dr. Jane Petro in January, 2004. On July 5, Dr. Ammous screened 75 burned children, and started surgery on July 6th.

Plastic surgeon treats babies in Ramallah
On February 21, 2004 Dr. Mark Ray from Arkansas and Australian nurse Ganene Dowdell came to Ramallah Hospital in Ramallah to perform cleft lip/cleft palate surgery that is not available there. This was the first mission to Palestine for the plastic team, who worked for one week and performed over 30 surgeries for poor refugee children in the West Bank.

Italian plastic surgery team performs surgery in Gaza
On February 14, 2004, an Italian plastic surgery team arrived in Khan Younis to perform a week-long surgery mission at the European Hospital for refugees with severe burns and congenital deformities. Led by surgeon Enrico Robbiti, the team consisted of 5 Italians and one American anesthestist from Minnesota. This was the second surgery mission to Khan Younis for Dr.Enrico's team. The team operated at the same hospital back in February of 2002. The team worked long hours at the hospital and treated over 60 needy patients.

American/Palestinian plastic surgery team arrives
in Lebanon, treats refugees
On January 23rd, 2004 Dr. Hisham Ammous, a plastic surgeon from Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, traveled to Lebanon to screen children for plastic surgery at the Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajnah refugee camp in Beirut. On January 25, Dr. Jane Petro from New York arrived and together, they treated close to 50 children with burns, cleft lip and palate, and other congenital deformities that they otherwise would not get treatment for locally. This is the third plastic surgery mission that the PCRF has sent to Lebanon to treat Palestinian children over the past few years.

American plastic surgeon treats patients in Nablus
In September, 2003 the PCRF sent Dr. Ed Ghallagher from San Diego to Rafidiah Hospital in Nablus to provide head and neck reconstructive surgery on patients in need. For one week, he worked with local doctors and nurses to treat several patients who could not be treated locally. They are:

Name: Rida Mahmoud Jaara Age: 16 y Residence: Nablus Operation: Scar revision on the neck left side date: Sep.16, 2003	Name: Manal Mahmoud Sayeh Age: 17 y Residence: Nablus-Salahia Str. Operation: Cleft Lip nose Date: Sep.16, 2003
Name: Muath Ahmed Husain Age: 8 y Residence: Nablus-Kufr El Labad Operation: Congintat Bat Ear Date: Sep.17, 2003	Name: Ahlam Sufian Hassan 1 Age: 5 y Residence: Qalqilia Operation: Cleft Lip Nose Date: Sep.17, 2003

American plastic surgery team treats wounded Palestinians in Gaza
At the end of August, 2003 a 3-member team of American plastic surgeons sent by the PCRF entered the Gaza Strip to do plastic and reconstructive surgery on Palestinian patients in need of plastic and reconstructive surgery not available to them there. Dr. Maher Anous, his wife and OR nurse Candi Anous from Everett, Washington, crossed from the Rafah border on Sunday, August 31, after being denied entry into Gaza by the Israeli authorities for one day. Dr. Mazen Bedri from John Hopkins Hospital joined them at the European Hospital in Khan Younis on September first, where they started doing complex reconstructive surgery on needy patients, despite the killing of a 9-year-old girl by Israeli soldiers in the nearby Khan Younis refugee camp. The PCRF would like to thank Save a Child Heart in Holon for their help in getting Dr. Anous permission to cross into Gaza after being denied for 24 hours.

Italian plastic surgery team visits Gaza
A 5-member team of plastic and reconstructive surgeons from Bergamo Hospital in Italy traveled to Palestine on Thursday, February 13th 2003 to begin a week of extensive surgery on burned and injured youths at the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Led by plastic surgeon Dr. Enrico Robotti, who first visited Palestine through the PCRF last October, the team included Anesthesia nurse Silvia Bruletti, Plastic surgeon Dr. Luca Ortelli, OR nurse Chiara Rota and Anesthesiologist Dr. Angelica Spotti. The team arrived in Khan Younis on Friday morning and immediately began screening dozens of injured patients waiting, though it was Friday and the end of the Eid al Adha Hospital, Following six hours of screening, the team began operating on Friday evening, doing four children. The PCRF would like to also thank the staff and team at the European Hospital for their hard work and high professional efforts in preparing the cases for surgery and coming in to work on their religious holiday and day off to help the Italian PCRF team work. The team worked until the 19th February at the European Hospital. See Cases Treated

Small World Foundation, May 2001.
In May, an 8-member team of plastic and reconstructive doctors and nurses were sent by the PCRF from the US to Rafidiah Hospital in Nablus to treat burned, injured and other Arab children who could not be treated locally. Working days after Israeli F-16s bombed Nablus and killed a dozen people, the team courageously did not postpone their trip and provided not only great medical services, but also a boost to the moral of the people there. Led by surgeons Dr. Kevin Hopkins and Dr. Michael Peters, who have both been to Palestine in the past through the PCRF, the team also donated tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical supplies to the hospital and provided much needed training as well. The team was hosted by the Ministry of Health and were made up of members from �Small World Foundation.� See list of patients treated

Small World Foundation, Beirut 2000.
In early April, 2000 an eight member team of plastic surgeons and nurses from Dallas were sent by the PCRF to treat burned and injured refugees in Lebanon. Led by surgeons Dr. Kevin Hopkins, president of "The Small World Foundation," and Dr. Michael Schaefer from Chicago, the team did nearly 50 plastic and reconstructive operations at Haifa Hospital in the Bourj Al Barajnah Refugee Camp in Beirut. This is the first American surgical team to work in Palestinian refugees camps since the civil ended. The team worked with local doctors and nurses from the Palestine Red Crescent Society. It is the second time in a year that Dr. Hopkins has led a team to do plastic surgery on Palestinians through the PCRF. In August of 1999, his team worked at Rafidiah Hospital in Nablus, Palestine. They will continue to work with the PCRF again in the future as well. See list of patients treated

Dr. Michael Peters Mission, July 1999
Two years later, the PCRF sent Dr. Peters back to Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, where he provided free plastic and reconstructive surgery for over a dozen injured children. In addition to working there as a volunteer, Dr. Peters also generously donated a dermatone machine for taking skin grafts. See list of patients treated

Dr. Michael Peters Mission, December 1997:
In late 1997, the PCRF sent Dr. Michael Peters, a plastic surgeon from San Diego who has generously treated many burned and injured children for free in his clinic in California, to Palestine. Working for a week at Rafidiah Hospital in Nablus, and then in Shifa Hospital in Gaza, Dr. Peters provided many injured and burned children the surgical help they needed, in addition to bringing thousands of dollars work of medical supplies.