Smile Train Appoints Dr. Randy Sherman to Medical Advisory Board

Leading plastic surgeon brings a wealth of experience to Smile Train cause

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Jun 22, 2016, 09:15 ET

NEW YORK, June 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Smile Train, the world's largest cleft charity, today announced the appointment of plastic surgeon Dr. Randy Sherman to its Medical Advisory Board. Dr. Sherman brings over thirty years of medical experience to aid Smile Train's efforts to provide free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care in developing countries.

Dr. Sherman has served as Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery and chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles since 2008 prior to which he held the inaugural Audrey Skirball Kenis Endowed Chair in Plastic Surgery as professor of surgery, orthopedics and neurological surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

"I am honored to join Smile Train's superb Medical Advisory Board," said Dr. Sherman. "Given their focus on maximizing all assets available to local and regional healthcare professionals, Smile Train works relentlessly to foster immediate as well as long term solutions towards the implacable problem of cleft deformities. I look forward to working with such a vibrant organization to positively affect the lives of so many deserving but underserved children who suffer so grievously from this condition."

"Dr. Sherman brings the highest level of expertise to our cause and we're confident he'll continue to advance our efforts to provide high-quality, efficient and safe surgical care to cleft patients around the world," said Smile Train Chairman and Founder Charles Wang.

Dr. Sherman completed his medical education at the University of Missouri Columbia, his residency at the University of California San Francisco and his plastic surgery training at the University of Southern California. He served on Operation Smile's Board of Directors from 2006 through 2013 and was the Chief Medical Officer at Operation Smile from 2007 through 2013. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Sherman was the Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

Dr. Sherman has received many awards and honors throughout his career, including the President's Award from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Los Angeles Physician Humanitarian Award from the California Medical Center Foundation and a Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center. Dr. Sherman has also served on the boards of directors of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery as well as the editorial board of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.

The Medical Advisory Board is chaired by Chief of Plastic Surgery Service at Texas Children's Hospital, Dr. Larry Hollier. The board is composed of cleft experts from maxillofacial surgeons to anesthesiologists to orthodontists to epidemiologists, and sets the standards for safety and quality for every Smile Train partner and program.

About Smile Train
Smile Train is an international children's charity with a sustainable approach to a single, solvable problem: cleft lip and palate. Millions of children in developing countries with untreated clefts live in isolation, but more importantly, have difficulty eating, breathing and speaking. Cleft repair surgery is simple, and the transformation is immediate. Our sustainable model provides training, funding and resources to empower local doctors in 85+ developing countries to provide 100%-free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care in their own communities. To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.org.

SOURCE Smile Train