Early in my career I was interested in volunteering overseas as an orthodontist. Most of the oral health volunteer opportunities, however, were for general dentists and oral surgeons. There are now options available to share our clinical expertise in orthodontics with overseas colleagues through teaching.
Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is a private, non-profit, volunteer organization that was founded in 1986. HVO is sponsored by many health care organizations including the American Dental Association and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
Dr. John Kanyusik is pictured with a Nepal Dental School student.
HVO’s mission is to improve the worldwide availability and quality of healthcare through the education, training, and professional development of the local health workforce in resource-scarce countries. HVO volunteers provide free training to over 3,200 health professionals each year, across more than 18 healthcare specialties in over 23 countries. There are opportunities to serve both in-person and virtually, and to provide both clinical and didactic information to our overseas colleagues.
Through the years I have had the opportunity to volunteer in-person at the HVO sites in Vietnam, Tanzania, Nicaragua, Moldova, and Nepal, as well as virtually in Uganda.
Often on my HVO trips I would travel with my spouse and/or other family members, and we would combine a personal trip either before or after my HVO volunteer stint. There is a wide range of educational interest from the various HVO site locations. Some of the HVO orthodontic sites have interests in basic diagnostic and treatment presentations for the undergraduate dental student. Other sites are ready for orthodontic graduate level information about complex multi-disciplinary treatment for patients with craniofacial disorders.
HVO trips are often arranged with the help of the HVO staff, the HVO site coordinator and the local HVO onsite coordinator. Guidance for housing and local transportation as well as local cultural information are typically provided for the volunteer.
Orthodontists and Residents Share Expertise with Students in Nepal
The HVO program in Nepal is facilitated by HVO Project Director Dr. Brian Hollander and by the HVO On-Site Coordinator Dr. Dashrath Kafle. Dr. Kafle is the clinical coordinator of the dental program at Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital in Dhulikhel. A volunteer opportunity is available to participate in a monthly orthodontic case seminar hosted by Dr. Kafle, his orthodontic faculty and their orthodontic residents. This seminar is accessed remotely by the participating residents, orthodontists, and maxillofacial surgeons through the HVO web site. A typical seminar will consist of the Katmandu University orthodontic resident’s presentation of a challenging case for diagnosis and treatment planning, followed by discussion with the seminar participants.
Pictured is an HVO project group including dental students at the Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital in Dhulikhel.
In addition to the diagnosis and treatment planning of these prepared cases, contributing orthodontists and maxillofacial surgeons often lecture on topics of interest. Recently, virtual lectures were presented during these seminars by Dr. Jeffrey Miller on CBCT imaging, by Dr. Cheryl Anderson-Cermin on cleft lip and palate treatment timing, and by Dr. Jeffrey Posnick on orthognathic surgical techniques.
Participating orthodontic residents from the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic orthodontic programs have also provided virtual presentations on various topics during these seminars. Dr. Anderson- Cermin, who is a University of Minnesota faculty member, recently shared her clinical expertise in cleft lip and palate management while in Nepal with a multispecialty cleft team.
Drs. Stuart Sheer, Richard Chang, and Mairead O’Reilly are among the other orthodontists who have served as volunteers to teach in Nepal through the HVO program. Dr. Kelton Stewart, Chair of the Indiana University Orthodontics Department, has provided support to the orthodontic program in Nepal by sending donated orthodontic textbooks for the dental library at Dhulikhel Hospital.
Dr. Kafle and his faculty have developed an excellent orthodontic residency program that educates future orthodontic clinicians and provides quality multidisciplinary treatment for their patients. If you have an interest in the Health Volunteers Overseas organization, please visit the HVO website, www.hvousa.org, and contact their dedicated HVO staff:
Ms. Lauren Franklin, Program Manager
Health Volunteers Overseas
1900 L St., NW, Suite 310
Washington, DC 20036
Direct Phone Line(240) 668-4663
HVO Office: (202) 296-0928
Email: l.franklin@hvousa.org
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the opportunity to participate with HVO and the Nepal HVO program: Dr. John Kanyusik, johnkanyusik@gmail.com.
Editor’s Note:
A WFO member (retired category), Dr. Kanyusik retired from private orthodontic practice in Minnesota in 2020. He was an adjunct assistant professor with the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Department of Developmental and Surgical Sciences from 2002 – 2023 and currently is an orthodontic consultant at the Mayo Clinic. He served on the American Association of Orthodontists Council on Membership, Ethics and Judicial Concerns and is a past president of the Minnesota Association of Orthodontists, the (AAO constituent) Midwestern Society of Orthodontists, and the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Orthodontics (CDABO). He is a clinical examination consultant for the American Board of Orthodontics and previously directed the CDABO preparation course for the ABO certification exam.
Dr. Kanyusik received the AAO’s James E. Brophy Distinguished Service Award in 2023.
