Closing the Reconstruction Gap with Mission Plásticos

In this episode of QUAD A NOW, host Tom Terranova sits down with Susan Williamson, CEO of Mission Plásticos. Susan shares how the nonprofit began in 1999 as a spinoff of Interplast, founded by plastic surgeon Dr. Larry Nichter after he saw local surgeons left unable to continue care once visiting teams went home.

Susan walks through what it takes to run a safe surgical mission overseas, from securing approvals and temporary licenses to site visits where the team tests every machine before a single case begins. She explains why training is tailored to what local surgeons can sustain, drawing on lessons from Cuba and Nepal.

The conversation also challenges the belief that plastic surgery means cosmetic surgery. Susan describes how releasing burn contractures helps a child hold a pencil and an adult return to work, and how cleft and microtia repairs change the way patients eat, hear, and are accepted in their communities.

Closer to home, Susan explains how Mission Plásticos launched its domestic breast reconstruction program for uninsured and underinsured women who were waiting years for care after mastectomy. Qualified patients receive outpatient reconstruction at no cost, supported by partners Tiger Aesthetics and MTF Biologics.

Tom and Susan close with practical ways ambulatory leaders can help, from donating a day of surgery center time to sharing Mission Plásticos as a resource with oncology colleagues so more eligible women can find care.

Learn more about Mission Plásticos at missionplasticos.org.