OPC Talks of Facial Surgery for Children in Developing World

James A. Lehman Jr. OPC '54, a plastic surgeon known for his pediatric work, visited Penn Charter on Dec. 13 to speak with students about his volunteer efforts to provide reconstructive facial surgery for children in developing countries.

"I think if you're going to have a fulfilling life and find happiness, doing for others is an important part of that," Lehman, a 1954 graduate of Penn Charter, told students.

Lehman's volunteer work had its origins in Vietnam. During the war, he worked as a general surgeon in an Army hospital and often treated children suffering from medical conditions not war-related.

Since the 1990s, working with five volunteer organizations, Lehman has regularly traveled to developing countries to treat children with birth defects such as cleft lips and palettes. He also treats burn victims and has reconstructed ears and hands.

As part of a team of volunteer doctors and medical personnel, Lehman spends two weeks in a developing country, returning regularly to see some of the same patients for numerous follow-up procedures. Lehman has traveled to Guatemala, Romania, Chile and Bolivia to operate clinics for people who have often traveled far themselves for medical treatment.

"Eighty-five percent of the world does not have access to regular healthcare," he told students.

He described the rudimentary operating rooms and equipment that had to suffice. The anesthesia machines were outdated, the suction often didn't work and sometimes even light bulbs were in short supply. "You've got to adapt to the situation you're in, so be flexible," he advised.

The most common surgery Lehman performs is on cleft lips and palettes. Fixing a cleft palette isn't just cosmetic, Lehman told students. It's a critical economic issue because people can't get more than a menial job if they can't speak properly.

Lehman helped establish the Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Ohio, as a nationally recognized center for pediatric plastic surgery. He spoke at Penn Charter, and lectured biology and anatomy classes, as part of the school's Distinguished Speaker Series.

Students wanted to know if there were children Lehman could not help. He explained that if a child came to the clinic too sick or malnourished to undergo surgery, he or she would have to get well first. Biology students asked about the mechanics of cleft palette surgery.

Lehman is looking forward to increasing his number of volunteer trips a year from two to four.

"When you love what you do, you never go to work," he told students.