This November, an interdisciplinary medical team of 25 — including five facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons, members of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) — will travel to Ukraine to repair complex facial injuries sustained in war. This is the third FACE TO FACE mission trip to Ukraine in the last 15 months; in September 2022 and again in April 2023, this team of surgeons spent a week each time in Ukraine on a similar mission. “We continue to be impressed by the resiliency of the Ukrainian people and know there are an exponentially greater number of patients with devastating facial injuries who need our expertise,” says mission trip leader and FACE TO FACE Committee Senior Advisor Manoj T. Abraham, MD, FACS. “By training the local surgeons to do these complex reconstructive procedures, we hope to have a meaningful impact and hope to continue educational activities through FACE TO FACE and the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.”
“As we process the horrors of the Gaza conflict, we cannot forget the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Ukraine," says AAFPRS President Dr. Sherard A. Tatum, who will also be on this Ukraine mission trip. "As the war progresses, the human casualties mount. There remains great need for craniofacial reconstruction of injured victims. The FACE TO FACE program is grateful and proud to be able to help with this important work."
The AAFPRS is the world’s largest association of facial plastic surgeons. Dr. Abraham has extensive experience in crisis relief and has been instrumental in orchestrating medical trips to Colombia, Peru, Ethiopia, India and multiple other international sites. Other AAFPRS members on the mission trip include AAFPRS president Sherard Tatum, MD, John Frodel, MD, Ryan Winters, MD and Grigoriy Mashkevich, MD.
The F2F humanitarian programs allow AAFPRS members to use their surgical skills and expertise to help those who are in need domestically and abroad. These physicians and support staff provide their services pro bono and self-fund much of the costs for the expensive medical supplies and equipment needed. F2F programs are conducted under the auspices of the Educational and Research Foundation for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS Foundation).