ROSEMONT, Ill. – The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) and the Henry Schein Cares Foundation are helping to support the volunteer work of four oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs) through the joint Global Outreach Project grant program.
For the third consecutive year, AAOMS and the Foundation are presenting $2,500 grants to four doctors to fund their volunteer work providing oral and maxillofacial surgery care in the United States and around the world. The program also offers each recipient $2,000 in healthcare products courtesy of the Foundation, which aims to increase the delivery of healthcare services and information to at-risk and underserved communities.
“Through the Global Outreach Program, oral and maxillofacial surgeons have received grants since 2015 to aid their volunteerism and make a long-lasting impact on patients in need,” said AAOMS President Brett L. Ferguson, DDS, FACS. “AAOMS – working in conjunction with the Henry Schein Cares Foundation – continues to support grant recipients so they can provide the highest quality of care to patients. Through this program, our organization can foster, support and promote the provision of oral and maxillofacial surgery care in underserved communities in the United States and around the world.”
“This year’s grant recipients have the opportunity to provide vital healthcare to at-risk and underserved populations through wellness, prevention and treatment services,” said Steven W. Kess, President of the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, Inc. “The Henry Schein Cares Foundation is proud to support their endeavors in oral and maxillofacial surgery as they better the lives of their patients.”
The 2017 grant recipients are:
- Joli Chou, DMD, M.D., FACS, of Philadelphia, Pa. – During a two-week surgical mission trip to Cameroon, Chou will join a medical team to provide about 50 oral and maxillofacial surgeries to patients and continuing education to local healthcare providers. This is the third grant Chou has received from the AAOMS-Henry Schein Cares Foundation Global Outreach Program to fund a trip with Mercy Ships, a nonprofit that operates a fleet of ships to offer healthcare services in developing countries. Chou has traveled to more than five countries to treat adults and children with facial deformities.
- William James Hall, DMD, of Pittsburgh, Pa. – For the past five years, Hall and three residents have performed oral surgery – including extractions and treatment of fractures and infections – on more than 2,000 patients in Croix-des-Bouquets in Haiti. Through the Yahve-Jire Children’s Foundation, Hall has helped build facilities for the community. He plans to use the grant to help fund a dental and medical clinic and supply it with products.
- Gary R. Parker, DDS, of Lindale, Texas – Parker will perform oral and maxillofacial surgery on patients from Cameroon, including treatment for benign and malignant facial tumors, certain facial defects and congenital malformations, such as cleft palates and lips. Parker has received a grant from the AAOMS-Henry Schein Cares Foundation Global Outreach Program for his humanitarian service with Mercy Ships each year since 2015.
- Mark C. Paxton, DDS, of Spokane Valley, Wash. – Paxton is volunteering for the 28th year with the nonprofit Hearts In Motion. He will help provide cleft lip and palate surgical care and other surgical procedures to patients ranging from newborns to the elderly in Latin America. A medical team of approximately 100 healthcare providers will participate as well.
