Smile Train and its technology partner BioDigital have been selected to showcase their Virtual Surgery Simulator among leading global health innovations in The Hive at TEDMED 2014, which will take place in Washington, D.C. at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
"Smile Train is honored to be represented through our partnership with BioDigital alongside the talented community of innovators in health and medicine that TEDMED unites each year," said Smile Train CEO Susannah Schaefer. "The importance of technological innovation in global surgical practice cannot be overstated, and Smile Train is committed to being at the forefront of these efforts."
In partnership with BioDigital, a New York-based developer of bio-medical visualization systems, Smile Train created the first atlas of 3D, web-accessible, interactive cleft surgeries that offers doctors in the developing world training for the 21st century. The Simulator, which is online and completely free of charge, allows surgeons to interact with and test out the intricate procedures of cleft surgery from start-to-finish, and from any angle.
"Since its launch in 2013, the Simulator has been an essential training resource for performing safe, quality, and 100%-free cleft repairs," said Schaefer. "The Simulator has become a key to our sustainable training model, which empowers and trains local doctors in their own communities, anywhere in the world."
"BioDigital's collaboration with Smile Train stemmed from a need for high-quality cleft repair training more than a decade ago," said Aaron Oliker, director of 3D technologies for BioDigital. "The Virtual Surgery Simulator is paving the way in global surgical innovation and has since become a blueprint for other surgical specialties including breast reconstructive surgery, oncology and cardiothoracic surgery."
Assembled from hundreds of applications and nominations, The Hive is a community of startups and entrepreneurs powering transformation and innovation towards a healthier future. TEDMED is a global community dedicated to unlocking imagination in service of health and medicine.
Having operated in more than 85 countries, Smile Train offers training and support to local doctors so that they can provide cleft care to patients in their own communities. Smile Train's sustainable model empowers local doctors worldwide to provide surgery to 350+ children every day. In just 15 years, Smile Train has provided more than one million cleft repairs to patients who could not have otherwise afforded surgery.
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