S�M���ING �� SMI�� ����� Cla�re Dona�hy ( le�t ), an�rs�n� �ro�essor at W�ll�am Paterson Un��ers�ty and Cl�n�cal Coord�nator at O�erat�on Sm�le , tra�n�n� health care wor�ers �n Man�la , Ph�l����nes .
201�-15 academic year and fellin love with the people and the country , she says .“ Every chance Icould , Iwould go back ,” she says . �peration Smile ’ s first Champion Program was held in Bushenge , Rwanda , to train surgeons in plastic surgery �there are currently only two plastic surgeons in acountry of 13 million �and anesthesia providers approved by the World Health �rganization . �onaghy was paired with aRwandan volunteer clinical coordinator namedEsperance . “ Welearned from each other ,” says �onaghy .“ Esperance was teaching me about their local procedures , and Itaught her the �peration Smile procedures and global standards .”
�SHE IS ���I�IS�IC A���� �HE L�N���ER� S�CCESS �� �HE CHA��I�N �R��RA�
In the Champion Program , says �onaghy , �3� of the volunteers are from the countries being visited , as opposed to being mostly visitors from other nations . “ �peration Smile used to go to �enya ,” she says .“ Now they ’ re strong and don ’ t need it . And health care providers who get credentialed in their own countries can go on to be credentialed internationally .” The biggest barrier is language skills , because volunteers have to be �uent inEnglish or Spanish to go to other countries , she says .
�SHE WEN� �N AN ALL�W��AN�ISSI�N �� �HE �HILI��INES
�onaghy was sorry that due to a scheduling con�ict , she had to miss a mission inMalawi in Sept ., 2022 that Esperance attended . �ne of six Women in Medicine missions conducted for the �0th anniversary of �peration Smile , it was comprised of all women , from the photographers to the biotechnicians . �onaghy did make ittoan all-woman mission tothe Philippines .
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After retiring from full-time teaching at WPU in 201� , �onaghy moved to ahome in Monmouth Beach . But during C��I� , anadministrator asked her to teach registered nurses how to get bachelor of nursing degrees through virtual courses , and she agreed . She is now in her third year of online instruction .
About 20-30 students are enrolled in the courses , which are seven weeks long and interactive .“ The support for online teaching has been great ,” she says .“ And William Paterson always supported me in my work with �peration Smile . Faculty are evaluated on teaching , scholarship and service . I said Iwanted �peration Smile to be my service . I also volunteer for JBJ Soul �itchen , Jon Bon Jovi ’ skitchen in Red Bank . It ’ s been a great experience as well .” ■
@ waynemagazine WAYNE MAGAZINE SPRING 2023
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