Smile Train has announced that it will take on the operations of Simulare Medical, a leading developer of surgical simulators, including one of the top cleft surgery simulators. As a division of Smile Train, Simulare Medical will be incorporated as a nonprofit based in Toronto, Canada, where the company currently operates and where its current team will remain in place.
"Training tools like those offered by Simulare are critical to Smile Train and taking on its operation will allow us to provide our partners with the highest-quality surgical training in a more efficient and cost-effective way, no matter where they are located," said Susannah Schaefer, president and CEO of Smile Train. "We are confident that this will support our continued leadership in cleft lip and palate treatment and to help as many children with cleft as possible."
Smile Train will incorporate the simulators into its portfolio of training programs around the world, making cleft surgery both safer and less costly, as according to research in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, simulator training tools have been shown to improve trainee's grasp of key concepts and shorten the learning curve. The anatomically correct 3D-printed simulators offer surgeons training through hyper-realistic models to help prepare them for the many nuances of cleft lip and palate treatment. As the world's largest cleft organization, Smile Train also has the network to get these tools in the hands of surgeons and trainees globally.
"In many low-resource countries, safe, high-quality surgical training can be a challenge, particularly for specialty treatment such as cleft lip and palate," said Larry Hollier, MD, chairman of the Smile Train Medical Advisory Board. "I look forward to leveraging this technology to offer additional training to surgeons around the world."
Smile Train's sustainable model provides local medical professionals with training, funding and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally.
