CSI News

Children’s Surgery International and our volunteers are often featured in the news and other current events media. Articles recognizing the work of CSI have been featured in both Twin Cities and overseas publications.

 

MN nonprofit Children’s Surgery International creates first Pediatric Otolaryngology & Facial Plastic Surgery Fellowship in Ethiopia

March 28, 2023

Pediatric Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery Fellowship in Ethiopia will improve access to life-changing care.

NEW BRIGHTON, MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES /EINPresswire.com/ — Children’s Surgery International (CSI) and Bahir Dar University (BDU) have launched the first Pediatric Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery Fellowship in Ethiopia. This fellowship is the result of eight years of partnership and a year of program development. Together, future generations of pediatric otolaryngology and facial plastic surgeons across Ethiopia will be trained. The establishment of this accredited program advances CSl’s mission of reducing healthcare disparities by increasing the number of sub-specialized surgeons in these fields. Our joint focus on advanced teaching, clinical and technical skill transfer, and research collaboration will change lives and strengthen communities.

“Currently, there is only one pediatric otolaryngologist in all of Ethiopia, a nation with roughly 48 million children under the age of 18. With the creation of this fellowship, CSI and BDU will share the honor and responsibility of training the first of many generations of Ethiopian subspecialist surgeons to focus on life-threatening and disfiguring head and neck conditions. We look forward to this journey beyond self-sufficiency and the great hope it will bring to the children of Ethiopia’s future,” said Dr. Siva Chinnadurai, board chair of CSI and pediatric otolaryngologist at Children’s Minnesota and University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.

 

Partnership with local organizations MATTER and Lube-Tech

August 1, 2021

We love our local partnerships! In July 40 volunteers from CSI, MATTER and Lube-Tech worked together to sort 10 pallets of donated medical supplies. Half of these supplies will be used for future CSI surgical trips or sent directly to our partner countries, and half will be distributed worldwide by MATTER. These donated supplies are valued at $30,000!

As Chris Bame, Lube-Tech CEO, would say “make tomorrow a little brighter than today”. Thank you Lube-Tech, MATTER and CSI volunteers!

Click to read the most recent MATTER blog post.

 

Planning for a return to travel

Our halt in travel over the past year due to the pandemic has allowed the CSI board of directors, volunteers and staff to reflect on how to continue working toward our vision of reducing health care disparities. Strategic goals set by the board in early 2020 included developing and testing new models of care delivery as well as new ways to engage supporters and raise funds. After the cancellation of our March 2020 trip to Ethiopia, our volunteers and staff immediately got to work on executing these goals.

The hard work of volunteers during the pandemic has allowed CSI to continue growing as an organization despite barriers to our traditional work. Our committees have truly leaned in to help us navigate, pivot and re-envision our work. At CSI, we value the fact that volunteers change the equation. We believe selfless gifts of time, talent and expertise from volunteers make it possible to multiply the investment of our supporters.

The medical and mission committee has developed new surgical trip models that will allow for our safe return to travel. This includes discipline-specific work groups that are enhancing and improving our trip planning and execution as well as developing targeted resources by specialty for education and training while on-site. This preparation will allow CSI volunteers to hit the ground running when we return to in-person collaboration.

As we plan for a safe return to travel, we are monitoring key indicators such as travel feasibility and quarantine restrictions, partner readiness, access to testing and vaccines, added PPE and new safety protocols. To mitigate risk, we plan to reduce the typical CSI surgical team size as well as the total number of surgical cases during each trip. These smaller teams will be composed of volunteers with strong site-specific experience. Team members will be vaccinated against COVID-19 and will be flexible in filling multiple team roles (such as medical records and logistics) which will allow us to be nimble and efficient. We will be adding more PPE, testing measures and supplies to our packing lists. To avoid large screening days that encourage the congregation of larger groups of people, we will work with our partners in a consultation role, relying on them to screen and schedule patients before our arrival.

This new model for smaller surgical teams will be piloted this fall in Mexico during two trips, and we continue to plan for 2022 trips under this same model. We hope to return to a more traditional surgical team model when it makes sense for our volunteers and our partners. Ultimately, it is our hope that these new trip models will allow for added service opportunities and greater impact to those we serve.

In addition to planning for resumed travel, CSI volunteer lecturers have hosted 10 webinars as part of the new CSI Online Education Series on topics from ENT and urology. The series continues this spring with general surgery topics. We are also supporting our partners with supplies and resources — sending specialized bottles to Ethiopia and Mexico for patients waiting for cleft lip and palate repair as well as four pallets of supplies to Liberia. Our partners in Tanzania made use of supplies left behind for future missions when we last visited. CSI volunteers and staff remain in close contact with our partners with planning calls to cover cases, testing and vaccine access.

CSI has adjusted how we connect with volunteers, donors and other supporters over the past year. CSI will not hold a traditional in-person gala in 2021. Instead we are looking forward to connecting with our constituent base throughout the year at a number of smaller, in-person and virtual events. Watch for more information on our website and social media channels soon.

Again, we thank our dedicated volunteers for their unwavering support over the past year. Their initiative and creativity has paved the way for CSI to continue serving communities in need far into the future. Together we change lives, one child at a time.

 

Spring 2021 trip update

CSI has made the difficult decision to cancel the spring 2021 trips to Ethiopia and Tanzania. This decision comes with heavy hearts, but due to the continued challenges with COVID-19, our top priority remains the health, safety and well-being of our volunteers, in-country partners and patients.

While we wait to resume travel, we continue our commitment to reducing health care disparities. In collaboration with our partners, we’ve pivoted to online education and continue to provide supply support.

We hope to resume our surgical mission trips in the fall of 2021.

Mexico: October 1 – 6
Ethiopia: October 13 – 24
Tanzania: November 11 – 20
Liberia: January 2022

 

The CSI Virtual Celebration — Be the Light at Home – raises $215,000

Although it certainly looked a little different, the CSI Virtual Celebration was our most important night of the year for fundraising and celebration. Every gift we received matters – we couldn’t do it without all of you. Because of your support, our first-ever virtual event was a huge success, raising $215,000. Thank you!

The funds raised during our virtual event are critical to pursuing our vision of reducing healthcare disparities and increasing access to life-changing medical and surgical care for children, families and communities around the world. We don’t know what 2021 holds for our volunteer surgical teams ready to rejoin our partners in Ethiopia, Liberia, Mexico and Tanzania, but we look forward to the CSI Virtual Education Series. This new model for education and collaboration continues to foster in-country self-sufficiency and make a lasting impact.

Children’s Surgery International would like to extend a special thanks to this year’s platinum sponsors, Firestone Natural Rubber Company and Lube-Tech/Bame Foundation; Gold sponsors, Children’s Minnesota, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, Medical Arts and Pediatric Surgical Associates; and silver sponsors, Edina Plastic Surgery, Dave and Jenny Keil, Key Surgical, Melanie McCall and Dr. Daniel Sampson, Dr. Paul Melchert and James Zimmerman, Northstar Surgical, Theresa and Dr. Michael Philbin and Drs. Dave and Naomi Tetzlaff.

On behalf of the 2020 virtual celebration committee and the CSI board of directors, we extend our sincerest thanks. Together we will change lives, strengthen communities and bring hope to children, families and communities around the world.

 

CSI volunteer Dr. Zipporah Gathuya named to Smile Train’s medical advisory board

Longtime CSI volunteer Dr. Zipporah Gathuya was recently named to Smile Train’s medical advisory board. Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft organization, empowers local medical professionals with training, funding and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally.

Zipporah, a pediatric anesthesiologist in Nairobi, Kenya, has served on the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA) Pediatric Anesthesia Committee and on the leadership committee for the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery. She has volunteered for many medical/surgical charities for children including her service with CSI as a leadership team member in Ethiopia and Tanzania. As a senior volunteer at St. John Ambulance Kenya, she directs first aid training for communities in Kenya. She was awarded a Head of State Commendation by the president of Kenya for her work in advancing Kenyan pediatric anesthesia practices and was instrumental in initiating the pediatric anesthesia fellowship program at the University of Nairobi, the first of its kind in East and Central Africa. As a global health specialist, Zipporah’s research and policy interests include education and training in anesthesia, patient safety, access to safe surgery and anesthesia in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the attainment of universal health coverage.

As the first pediatric anesthesiologist in Kenya and a natural educator and collaborator – with partners throughout Africa and beyond – Zipporah will be a valuable addition to Smile Train’s advisory board. CSI is proud to have Zipporah as part of our team.

 

Liberia trip cancelation

After thoughtful discussion with our in-country partners, Children’s Surgery International (CSI) has canceled the January 2021 surgical trip to Firestone Duside Hospital in Liberia. As the challenges with COVID-19 continue, our top priority remains the health, safety and well-being of our volunteers, in-country partners and patients.

We continue to focus on pivoting the delivery of our mission toward virtual education and collaboration, supporting our partners with equipment and supply needs and planning for when we can resume travel.

As always, we are grateful for our dedicated volunteers and donors who continue to make a difference in the communities we serve.

 

Fall 2020 trip cancelations

This week, Children’s Surgery International (CSI) canceled the three trips scheduled for this fall: Mexico (Oct. 2 – 7), Ethiopia (Oct. 21 – Nov. 1) and Tanzania (Nov. 12 – 21). This decision comes with heavy hearts. As the challenges with COVID-19 continue, our top priority remains the health, safety and well-being of our volunteers, in-country partners and patients.

Currently, the CSI board of directors, staff and volunteers are focused on pivoting the delivery of our mission toward virtual education and collaboration, supporting our partners with equipment and supply needs and planning for 2021 with the hopes that we can resume travel.

We remain committed to realizing our vision of reducing global health care disparities by helping communities obtain the knowledge, skills and tools to provide life-changing surgical and medical care for children. Our team is invigorated by this opportunity for creative thinking and innovation as we develop new programs that will serve us well into the future.

As always, we are grateful for our dedicated volunteers and donors who continue to make a difference in the communities we serve despite current challenges in our work together.

 

16th Annual CSI Gala postponed

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Children’s Surgery International has postponed the annual gala scheduled for May 2, 2020. The health and safety of our volunteers, sponsors, guests and our greater community continues to be our top priority.

We recognize that now is a time to focus on the health and needs in our community. We  are deeply grateful for the service of our incredible healthcare community, and we want to do our part to slow the spread of this virus and ensure care and support is accessible for those who need it most. Together, we will get through this difficult time. 

And when we do, the children, families and healthcare professionals in the communities we serve will need us more than ever. We can’t wait to come together to support them and CSI’s continued efforts in countries like Ethiopia, Liberia, Mexico and Tanzania. We look forward to celebrating our work and looking to the future during our annual gala rescheduled for this fall – Thursday, September 10, 2020. More details to follow.

Up-to-date information is available at on the Events page.

If you have registered for the May 2 gala and are unable to attend the event this fall, please contact Megan Sparks at megan@childrenssurgeryintl.org.

 

Tanzania trip cancelation

As the challenges presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to change rapidly, the top priority of Children’s Surgery International (CSI) remains the health, safety and well-being of our volunteers, in-country partners and patients. As a precautionary measure to mitigate the risk of exposure to all involved, we have made the decision to cancel the April 2020 Tanzania trip scheduled for April 16-25. 

While the cancelation of our spring surgical missions brings sadness and disappointment, we remain hopeful that we will continue serving children in need during our fall 2020 Mexico, Ethiopia, and Tanzania trips.

We are also aware that the risks of COVID-19 now extend beyond our travel plans. Our board of directors and staff are working to address contingency planning for the fundraising gala scheduled for May 2, 2020.

 

Ethiopia trip cancelation

Children’s Surgery International (CSI) leadership has been closely monitoring the emerging situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We’ve reached out to peer organizations, connected with local infectious disease experts and consulted with international travel security experts to inform our travel plans for this spring.

We’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the March 4-15, 2020 surgical trip to Ethiopia. Along with concerns about possible travel difficulties that may result from increased efforts to contain the virus, we’re sensitive to the fact that we would be traveling from and through countries where there are confirmed cases of COVID-19. We want to avoid unwittingly exposing our in-country partners and their patients. CSI does not wish to place demands on local resources that may limit their management response to the virus.

As always, we thank our volunteers and donors for their dedication and support of CSI and the communities we serve. While the decision to cancel this trip is difficult, it does not change our commitment to the children, families and professionals we are so proud to work with in Ethiopia.

 
 

Firestone Liberia Hosts Children’s Surgery International (CSI) for Ninth Mission to Duside

Firestone Liberia welcomes Children’s Surgery International (CSI) back to Duside for its eighth surgical mission and ninth mission to Liberia. The medical team arrived January 15, 2020, at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Margibi County and will be in the country for one week.

CSI, along with members of the Firestone Liberia medical team, will perform the operations, including cranial facial, complex urological, and a variety of general surgeries on Liberia’s children, completely free of charge. Upon arrival in Harbel, Lora Stege Koppel, CSI board member and mission lead, expressed her happiness to be back in Liberia. “You all make us feel welcome at Firestone Liberia,” she said. 

During the 2019 mission, the CSI team, along with their counterparts from the Firestone Medical Center, performed more than 100 free surgeries. During that same mission, the CSI team also conducted 22 hours of lectures, educational sessions and hands-on bedside training for local health care practitioners.

Prior to the start of the surgical mission, CSI and Firestone Liberia conducted deworming activities for approximately 3,500 children from communities surrounding the concession area of Firestone. Communities that benefited from the deworming efforts were Cotton Tree, Peter’s Town, Kparnyah, Freeman Reserve and Dolo’s Town. Read the entire article.

 

Member volunteers time, service to help children

AAOMS Today July/August 2019. Volume 17, Issue 4.

A 2012 trip to Mexico to provide cleft lip and palate care to children was so rewarding it has become an annual trek for
Daniel Sampson, DDS, MD.

Excellent cleft and craniofacial surgeons operate in Mexico, Dr. Sampson said, but many patients cannot afford the care. That is where Children’s Surgery International (CSI) helps. The nonprofit provides medical and surgical services to underprivileged children throughout the world.

Since 2005, CSI has sponsored annual October missions to Hermosillo in collaboration with CIMA Hermosillo and St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic in Nogales, Ariz. In 2012, a colleague at Children’s Minnesota – a pediatric health system with locations in the Minneapolis area – asked Dr. Sampson to join the CSI group headed to Hermosillo. Dr. Sampson agreed.

During that first trip, the CSI team hoped Dr. Sampson could finish a couple alveolar bone grafts during each of the two surgery days. Instead, he completed eight grafts in two days.

The next year, Dr. Sampson and the team increased their impact by adding a third day of surgery to their schedule. Dr. Sampson said he returned home to Minnesota so inspired that his wife, Melanie McCall, volunteered to assist with medical records the following year. She is now chair of CSI’s board of directors.

“The experience of doing these trips refreshes my mind and soul,” Dr. Sampson said. “I come back with renewed energy for my practice and wonderful memories of the children I take care of. Every year, there are unique experiences.

“What has been truly rewarding is watching the children grow up, finish school and get on with their lives. Each one is beautiful, resilient and deserving of everything that we can do for them. I’ll keep going until I can no longer do it.”

During his most recent trip in 2018, Dr. Sampson performed 11 grafts in three days. Overall, the CSI team usually conducts about 60 surgeries each mission. St. Andrew’s ensures the children receive speech pathology follow-up and orthodontic care as needed, and a local plastic surgeon removes sutures.

When time permits, Dr. Sampson also performs closure of fistulas and other cleft care. During the 2019 trip, Dr. Sampson plans to perform a tensor fascia lata free flap with one of the plastic surgeons to close a large fistula that takes up an entire palate.

Dr. Sampson said he is considering traveling with CSI to other parts of the world, such as Liberia and Ethiopia.

“I have proven that alveolar bone grafting can be done safely on mission trips with good results,” Dr. Sampson said. “Now I want to show the value of these procedures even if a child cannot access orthodontic treatment.”

Dr. Sampson first volunteered during dental school in Minneapolis at a free clinic that served mainly the homeless. He has continued his charitable endeavors with Mission of Mercy – a community-based organization that provides free healthcare – and a free clinic in Minneapolis. He also mentors potential future OMSs at the undergraduate clinic at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.

“I feel these mission trips really have made me a better person,” Dr. Sampson said. “They opened my mind and eyes to the world more than just a vacation to a foreign country would. We interact on such a personal level with the families and other local people.

“Finally, there is nothing better than saying, ‘I can do this for your child,’ and not having to worry about whether insurance will cover it.”

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We’re Hiring! Mission Operations Manager

This part time role part time role reports to the Executive Director. The position works directly with multiple stakeholders — including volunteers, site partners, vendors, staff, members of the board, donors, corporate partners, peer organizations, and community partners — to plan and execute our surgical mission trips.  Click here to learn more and apply for this exciting opportunity!

Making a global impact: Children’s Minnesota nurses volunteer beyond U.S. borders

May 2019 – Children’s MN Mighty Blog

We know nurses work tirelessly to make a meaningful difference in their local communities every day. But Angela Olson and Macy Henningsen are two Children’s Minnesota operating room nurses who strive to do even more. Both volunteer with Children’s Surgery International, a nonprofit, on a number of trips abroad to help spread medical knowledge beyond U.S. borders.

On a recent trip to Tanzania, a variety of health care volunteers came together with the purpose of sharing medical knowledge with local practitioners by partnering with them to perform life-altering surgeries in local communities. Read more.

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In memory – Dr. James Sidman

July 2018

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Dr. James Sidman has passed away. Dr. Sidman was integral to CSI. In addition to his service as a surgical trip volunteer, Jim helped build the team of craniofacial surgeons and medical professionals that CSI depends on for our teaching missions. Dr. Sidman also served on the board of directors, helping chart our path and focus our efforts toward capacity-building and sustainability. His influence on our staff and volunteers was profound, and his wisdom and passion for this work will continue to guide us. This fall Ethiopia team members dedicated their trip to Dr. Sidman. Their focused service to help our partners in Ethiopia build skills and capacity to serve their community is just the sort of approach that Dr. Sidman inspired us to value. He will be deeply missed.

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Front Page Africa: VP Boakai Commends Children’s Surgery International

 

January 2017

Harbel, Margibi County –Vice President Joseph N. Boakai has hailed Children’s Surgery International (CSI) for their successful surgical mission that transformed the lives of more than 60 Liberian children at the Firestone Medical Center in Harbel, Margibi County.

Vice President Boakai referred to CSI as a “great partner”, noting without such organizations it is difficult for the nation to achieve all it plans to do. Read more.

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Featured 2015 Community Caregiver: Daniel Sampson, DDS, MD Pediatric

March 2015

More at Minnesota Physician – March 2015.

 

Edina couple transform young lives through medical mission trips

January 21, 2015

Edina couple looking forward to a fourth medical mission with Children’s Surgery International.

[…] About one in 1,000 children is born with a cleft lip or palate. But in some parts of the world, these babies are shunned — not only by society, but by their own blood. “In some cultures, they’re thought of as monsters or demons.

Many of these kids are abandoned by their families,” said Dr. Dan Sampson, an Edina resident and associate chief of surgery at Minneapolis Children’s Hospital.

More at Star Tribune.

 

CSI Announces New Site: Vietnam

November 2014

A small team of CSI volunteers completed a site visit and inspection in Vietnam in September 2014. They traveled from Ho Chi Minh City to Quy Nhon, and onto Hanoi. Thanks to a collaborative arrangement with International Pediatrics Specialists Alliance for the Children of Vietnam (IPSAC), the team was able to visit seven hospitals. The group determined that the medical and surgical needs are significant, and a wonderful opportunity for CSI team members to work alongside local medical professionals to serve children in the region. A CSI mission trip to Provincial Hospital in Quy Nhon, Vietnam is planned for September 2015.

 

Watching Ebola outbreak, Minnesotans scramble their travel plans

August 4, 2014

As alarm grows over the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa, families in Minnesota’s large Liberian community are scrambling for plane tickets and visas to get relatives out of the stricken zone and at least two Twin Cities churches have canceled mission trips intended to deliver medical and other aid to Liberia.

More at Star Tribune.

 

MN Nonprofit Cancels West Africa Trip Over Ebola Fears

July 28, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is having an impact on some health organizations here in the Twin Cities.

The nonprofit group Children’s Surgery Internationalhas canceled a trip to Liberia because of the outbreak.

Laura Stege-Koppel, a nurse with Children’s Hospital in Minnesota, volunteers for the group, which does medical mission trips in West Africa.

More at CBS News.

 

 

Sibling Service

Spring 2012

Although the Randall siblings live on different sides of the United States, three of them manage to get together every year or so—sometimes at destinations with no electricity or running water but plenty of hustle and bustle. But that’s nothing new for Children’s Surgery International (CSI) volunteers.

More at BYU Magazine.