Operation Smile Spotlights the Power of Mentorship to Advance Global Health Equity at the 2023 Women Deliver Conference

WHAT: According to the World Health Organization, women hold just 25% of health care leadership roles – a disparity that affects patient outcomes, access to care and more. On Wednesday, July 19, 2023, Operation Smile – a global nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to health care – will join thousands of global changemakers and innovators at the Women Deliver conference in Kigali, Rwanda to advocate for peer mentorship as a sustainable pathway to gender equality in health care.

Mentorship is a proven, powerful tool to bridge the global gender gap in health care, but systemic barriers and the lack of diversity in the field can make these connections difficult to foster. Through a dynamic panel event and networking session, “The Power of Peer Mentorship to Transform Global Health,” Operation Smile and health care leaders from around the world will facilitate meaningful conversation on the impact of women’s mentorship in global health care and empower attendees to implement mentorship programs in their own communities.

Event speakers include:

• Dr. Elizabeth Coté, MD, MPA, Vice President of Global Medical Education at Operation Smile
• Dr. Fetiya Awol, MD, Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Assistant Professor and Chief Clinical Director, Jimma University Medical Center
• Dr. Francoise Mukagaju, MD, Rwanda’s First Female Plastic Surgeon and Vice Chair of Rwanda Women Surgeon
• Dr. Francoise Nizeyimana, MD, Anesthesia and Critical Care Program Director, University of Rwanda
• Dr. Jane Odubu Fualal, MD, Head of the Breast and Endocrine Unit, Mulago National Referral Hospital, President of COSECSA
• Ms. Johanna Teague, Swedish Ambassador of Rwanda

WHEN: Wednesday, July 19, 2023 / 7:00 – 8:30 am CAT

WHERE: Kigali Convention Center Room: MH3.1

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CONTACT: Kelly Murillo, [email protected], 941-6237178

About Operation Smile

Operation Smile is a global nonprofit specializing in expert cleft surgery and care. We provide medical expertise, research and care through our dedicated staff and medical and student volunteers around the world, working alongside local governments, nonprofits, and health systems, and supported by our generous donors. For more information about Operation Smile, please visit www.operationsmile.org.