Donor Spotlight: How Women Surgeons in Los Angeles Are Paying It Forward Across the Globe
One such example is the story of Casselith Plastic Surgery, an entirely women-owned and run practice that was so inspired by the PWRS program that they donated all the proceeds of their Antioxidant sales during the month of April to ReSurge.
We caught up with Alessandra Ricciuti, the Director of MedSpa at Casselith and the woman who spearheaded this campaign to find out more.
Alessandra, thank you so much for your generous donation on behalf of Cassileth Plastic Surgery and for taking the time to speak with us! Tell me, how did you first hear about ReSurge International and the PWRS program?
I first heard about ReSurge through a SkinCeuticals email campaign launched at the end of March. Since I work for Los Angeles’s only all-female plastic surgery practice, Cassileth Plastic Surgery, I was immediately drawn to the PWRS program. I loved the idea of female surgeons empowering other women and raising awareness for the advancement and education of female surgeons worldwide.
Cassileth is LA’s only all-female plastic surgery practice
So you went from just learning about ReSurge in March, to successfully launching a fundraising campaign in April? That’s a really short amount of time! The program and mission must have really resonated with you.
It did. As a strong female leader and businesswoman, I firmly believe in philanthropy and giving back, so I am always looking for organizations to partner with and support. Giving back is the cornerstone of any successful business; it’s important to be involved in your community and to support organizations that support your industry. PWRS is all these things, an amazing program helping women in low-income countries advance in medicine and saving and changing lives.
For many of our PWRS mentees, they will be the first female reconstructive surgeons in their home countries. What has your experience been like as a woman in a male-dominated field?
I have enjoyed working for both male and female plastic surgeons in my career, and I am truly honored and grateful to work at Cassileth Plastic Surgery. Day in and day out, I am amazed at the incredible work that our team does to change and save the lives of so many women.
Women know women, and they know a women’s body better than a man, and can empathize and understand all the emotions and intricacies involved in reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery. For this reason, female surgeons can provide a level of patient care that comes from the heart, a bond of women helping women, that male surgeons simply cannot. That’s what makes our team of surgeons so special and unique in a predominantly male-dominated industry.
We also see patient care improving with more women leaders in global health and international development. Addressing gender inequity and putting women in positions of leadership is beneficial to everyone in the community.
Our hope with the PWRS program is to bridge the gap of gender inequality not only in surgery, but in healthcare overall. Lack of gender balance in health leadership means that the global health sector loses female talent, perspectives, and knowledge.
Yes! That resonates a lot with me and is part of the reason I was so motivated to launch this fundraiser and support a program like PWRS.
Current Cohort of ReSurge PWRS Mentees
Tell me more about the fundraiser. How did you get it started?
As a SkinCeuticals flagship and a female-led business, I felt that I could create a campaign that would go hand-in-hand with National Vitamin C Day, simultaneously raising awareness about the incredible line-up of award-winning Antioxidants and PWRS.
With the blessing from Dr. Cassileth, who graciously agreed to donate the proceeds of all of our Antioxidant sales during April to PWRS, I set about educating our staff about PWRS, and the impact we could have. As an all-female team, our staff loved the campaign, and it created another fantastic benefit to share with our patrons and patients to purchase a SkinCeuticals Antioxidant!
And how much did you raise by the end of the month?
We were able to raise $8,000.
That’s amazing! How did that feel?
I had chills when I submitted our donation! It was a proud moment to witness our collective efforts come full circle and to know what an impact in the lives of so many our contribution would make. Giving back is truly a gift in itself.
That is truly inspirational, Alessandra. A huge thank you from all of us at ReSurge to the entire team at Cassileth! Before you go, is there anything you’d like to tell our PWRS mentees, or any woman who is considering a career in a male-dominated field?
You cannot go wrong if you follow your passion in life. As women, we are powerful and have strengths that men don’t innately have. Embrace who you are and the superpower gift you have to help change and save lives one surgery at a time!
Only 7 out of 100 surgeons are women. You have the power to close the gap by supporting the next generation of female surgeons. These women provide life-changing reconstructive surgical care to those in need in developing countries. Donate today.
Latest Stories
Patient Stories
Stories from the Field
In the rural Bolivian village of Villamontes, women experiencing birthing complications have few res …
Transforming the practice of reconstructive surgery in Sub-Saharan Africa is no small feat. For ever …
The Donald R. Laub Fellowship program, named after our founder Don Laub, allows for a fourth-year re …
At ReSurge, we want our patients to thrive post-surgery. We have a holistic approach to surgical car …
For the past 23 years, ReSurge has had the honor of working with Dr. Goran Jovic, one of the only re …
Dr. Jorge de la Cruz has been a Surgical Outreach Partner and a valued member of the ReSurge family …
When a child in a remote rural village is born with a surgically treatable condition, there are a lo …
It takes a special kind of bravery to reflect on one’s own community—with love and critique—and to t …
When you meet 8-year-old Evani, you can’t help but catch her infectious and bubbly smile. This brigh …
“I keep asking my brother for soccer cleats because I love playing, but he tells me, ‘no’ because he …
Dr. Pedro Santos grew up in Mozambique during a time of civil war. His father, a doctor, would come …
The 2022 ReSurge Transformations Gala: A Global Festival was a huge success! Thank you to everyone w …
Sometimes the most meaningful things in life happen by chance. Dr. Paige Fox is a Professor in the D …
Dr. Seif Nuru is a general surgeon from Tanzania, studying in Uganda, and ReSurge’s first Annual Rec …
When Dr. Dung Nguyen was growing up in Vietnam, she was very aware of the importance of access to he …
We’re excited to announce that ReSurge International has been selected as the latest organization to …
“My time with ReSurge was the best year of my academic and professional life and it has shaped me as …
Black History Month honors the incredible contributions that Black communities have made throughout …
Dr. Jeff Friedrich is a ReSurge medical volunteer and Professor of Surgery, Orthopedics, and Urology …
What is the difference between the curriculum accessible to residents at Stanford Medicine’s Divisio …
Sujana is a six-year-old who lives in the outskirts of the Katmandu Valley in Nepal with her parents …
Meet Jackson. This exuberant boy took a ten-hour bus ride with his mother to our clinic in Tanzania. …
Philp is a bright-eyed toddler who loves playtime with his siblings. Philp was born in Uganda, a cou …
Over the past year, ReSurge was not able to facilitate international travel or in-person training du …
With sadness, we mourn the loss of Dr. Dave Dingman, ReSurge’s first Consulting Medical Officer, who …
With heavy hearts, we share some tragic news of a painful loss in our ReSurge International family. …
Getting Back in the Saddle Like the rest of the world, ReSurge had to halt all travel and in-person …
With heavy hearts, we mourn the loss of ReSurge board member and dear friend, Tyson Clark, who passe …
Thomas Davenport, MD, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon and partner at Long Island Plastic Surgi …
On November 10th, 2021, we proudly hosted our first annual ReSurge Honors event at Sharon Heights Go …
We Are Proud to Present Our 2021 Annual Report! We are thrilled to share our 2021 ReSurge Internatio …
ReSurge’s patients and their families are brave. They are strong. They are fighters. Some take a bus …
ReSurge International is proud to partner with Ohana One International Surgical Aid, a global surgic …
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the global surgery sector hard. All international travel was canceled and …
For over six years, Dr. Bharatendu Swain has been a ReSurge International Surgical Outreach Partner. …
ReSurge International is an international global health organization driven to address surgical ineq …
“Other than the face, our hands are the most communicative part of our body when connecting to the o …
At ReSurge International, our reconstructive surgical care and training transforms the lives of thou …
The Donald R. Laub Fellowship program, named after our founder Don Laub, allows for a fourth-year re …
It’s a sunny day at the Canyon Inn, a classic family diner decked in1970s sports memorabilia in Redw …
“The pandemic plus the national attention to matters of equity—including access to healthcare—have h …
On June 19, 2021 the United States will celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day, as an offici …
Dr. Matolase Mtonga always knew she wanted to be a surgeon. But as a medical student in Zambia she f …
The year 2020 was unlike any other. We began on a high note, celebrating our 50th anniversary as the …
Dear Friends and Colleagues, The current situation and devastation caused by the novel coronavirus i …
A child born with a cleft lip in Nepal has a tough journey ahead. Difficulty breastfeeding and chron …
At ReSurge International, we have the honor and privilege to work alongside many talented partners, …
In pursuit of finding a non-profit that shared her personal passion of expanding health access to th …
Dr. Percy Rossell-Perry, a practicing reconstructive surgeon at Edgardo Rebagliati Ho …
A ReSurge Board Member since 2015, Meredith Taylor was recently named Chair of our Board of Director …
None of our work would be possible without the steadfast support of you, our donors — together we’re …
Our Founder, Dr. Donald Laub In 1969, a group of volunteers from the Bay Area’s Latin Ame …
Eileen Sheldon, ReSurge Board member, recently did a spectacular job chairing our T …
How did you hear about ReSurge and get involved? One of the University of Wisconsin pediatric neuros …
In May, members of ReSurge’s board of directors visited our surgical outreach partner sites in Nepal …
We are proud to introduce Chao Long, the newly selected Donald R. Laub Fellow. Named for our ReSurge …
Dr. Anna Luan recently completed the Donald R. Laub Fellowship. Named for our ReSurge founder and co …
When ReSurge volunteer Sue Fossum first heard about ReSurge, she was working in the PACU at UC Davis …
Dr. Hien Thi Nguyen knew the rural poor of her country needed the medical services ReSurge provides. …
ReSurge is pleased to be launching a new initiative to increase access to safe reconstructive s …
By Tom Seery I spent the first days of 2020 in Dehradun, India as part of a visiting educator trip w …
When Dr. Mark Singleton was asked to join a surgical mission trip in 1986, he was intrigued by the t …
Last month, we packed our bags and headed to Kathmandu for a week of leadership training for the emp …
In May of this year, a medical team of hand surgeons and hand therapists traveled with ReSurge, in p …
We are proud to introduce Anna Luan, the newly selected Donald R. Laub Fellow. Named for our ReSurge …
Earlier this month, a ReSurge surgical mission trip visited Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, where we treat …
Ty is a thirty-four-year-old woman with a beautiful smile. We treated her on a recent visit to Phan …
Meet Sheetal. At age 12, she was burned in a fire at her home where she lives with her widowed mothe …
“If you do something good for others, something good will come to you.” This is how Anthony D. expla …
An important part of our mission is to provide reconstructive surgical care for poor children and ad …
A well-known expert in pediatric anesthesiology, Dr. George Gregory has volunteered his skills with …
Dr. Shankar Man Rai, a world-renowned expert at repairing clefts and burn injuries, has provided mor …
Dr. Shakya is a maxillofacial surgeon at the Nepal Cleft and Burn Center at Kirtipur Hospital in Kat …
Dr. Issufo is the plastic surgery service director at Mozambique’s Maputo Central Hospital. She trea …
Dr. Shrestha is an orthopedic hand surgeon at the Hospital and Rehabilitation center for Disabled Ch …
Dr. Muchemwa is a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon, at Parirenyatwa Hospital at t …
Dr Ibrahim is a senior registrar in the plastic surgery department at Birdem General Hospital (Bangl …
Dr. Escudero is a plastic surgeon at Luis Vernaza Hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador, the largest nonpro …
At the beginning of his career, Dr. Bill McClure was on track to become a cardiovascular surgeon–th …
In mid-July, ReSurge sent visiting educators Dr. Gordon Lee and Dr. Matthew Chetta to train local re …
In late August 2016, a visiting educator team made ReSurge’s inaugural visit to Mozambique, as part …
ReSurge’s Visiting Educator trips to Bhutan are making an impact after just over a year working in t …
A patient story as told by Dr. Goran Jovic. At first, I did not notice anything unusual about him. I …
Kanchana is a bright young nurse in Sri Lanka. She graduated eleventh out of 30,000 nursing students …
When baby Christine was born in central Zambia, her mother immediately noticed that something was wr …
The year was 1987, and Marlon and Violeta in Nicaragua were like any other parents of a new baby gir …
Tonmoy was living the life of a typical 6-year-old boy—climbing trees and running around. One day, w …
Alam lives in an apartment building in Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. …
Mohammed Hussein was just 7 years old when the accident occurred that left him on crutches. He was p …
Ganesh is 14 years old. Despite living in a small rural village of Nepal, he dreams of becoming a do …
Vijay arises early, before the sun is up, and gently wakes his daughter Priyanka. She looks into his …
Outside Bharatapur, a southern crossroads town where Nepal’s east and west meet on the nation’s main …
Kalus is an 8-year-old boy from a small village between Pokhara and Kathmandu in Nepal, who could no …
Astha, a baby girl in Nepal, fell from her mother’s lap into a fire during a traditional ceremony wh …
Sirisu is a charming 4-year-old from Nepal who accidentally scalded his arm while making hot food fo …
Rinchin, 13, wants to be a movie star. He is one of the patients we met recently when students from …
Four-year-old Nguyen was born with three of his fingers fused on each hand, a congenital birth defec …
Hoa, a young mother, knew intimately the stigma of a cleft lip as she had been born with one herself …
The ReSurge team fell in love with 3-month-old Thi Ngol Quyen during a trip to Vietnam in April 2013 …
Like more than 2 billion people worldwide, Quynh’s family in Vietnam does their cooking over open fi …
Sixteen-month-old My and her mother, Hat, live in Quy Nhon, on Vietnam’s eastern coast. When Hat was …
Y Dim, now 2 years old, was born in the rural mountains of Vietnam with a cleft lip. After she was b …
On a surgical team trip to Quy Nhon, Vietnam, we met Tam, a man who has been waiting 58 years to hav …
Five-year-old Huynh was born in a small village in Vietnam with a condition known as congenital hair …
Hasan is a daughter, a sister, a mother and at the moment, our patient. Hasan’s smile is a clear win …
I’ve been looking forward to returning to Dehradun because I would finally get the opportunity to re …
In early 2013, ReSurge sent a team trip to Dehradun, India, where we have a Surgical Outreach Progra …
Magali’s original accident took place when she was two years old. Her mother was preparing caramelo …
Joseph is a 7-year-old boy from El Alto, Bolivia. He was born with syndactyly, a condition in which …
When you meet Jonathan, you quickly realize he has more cares than a typical 6-year-old should. He h …
During a clinic in Nicaragua last March, we met 2-month-old Dara. Dara, like so many other children, …
In the 1960s, Antonio, a 13-year-old boy from Mexicali, Mexico, was being raised by his grandmother, …
On a trip to Ecuador in 2012, we met five-year-old Luis Fernando. Two years prior, he had been terri …
Jacqueline’s 28-year-old daughter, Andrea, is her pride and joy. When Andrea was born with a bilater …
As the director of international services at ReSurge International, Amy Laden is often contacted by …
In Mali, there is only one physician for every 12,800 people—and no reconstructive plastic surgeons. …
Awa, an 11-year-old girl, was shaking down fruit from a tree with a metal pole when her pole hit a l …
When Dr. Goran Jovic was presented the case of a teenager attacked by a hyena, he turned to ReSurge …
Mateo was one of nearly 17,000 people who receive a severe burn every year in Zambia, a country with …
Determined to do the best they could for their babies, mothers Bella and Mwanga banded together for …
Five-year-old Jacob is bright, outgoing and likes to play football. But life for Jacob hasn’t been c …
Jonas is one brave little 5 year old. He lives with his family under a giant baobob tree on the plai …
When Favour was 3 years old, he was at home alone with his 12-year-old cousin who was looking after …
