Hi everyone! My name is Emily Chwa, and I'm an MD/MPH student at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. I have decided to join Smile Train's Young Leadership Circle Board and fundraise for Smile Train to help provide smiles to children in need. Smile Train is an international children’s charity with a sustainable approach to a single, solvable problem: cleft lip and palate.
I aspire to become a plastic surgeon and perform the operations necessary to treat cleft lip and palate. I am excited to continue learning about cleft care through my mentor Dr. Arun K. Gosain, the Division Head of Plastic Surgery at Lurie Children's Hospital. As a former Smile Train Medical Advisory Board Member, he serves as my role model for how to advance the intersection of surgical expertise and global health equity.
My parents immigrated to the United States from Myanmar, a southeast Asian country with numerous Smile Train partner hospitals that benefit from the organization's sustainable model which empowers local in-country providers. Being a first-generation American drives my passion for global health.
Thank you for supporting my fundraiser with Smile Train – together we can change the world one smile at a time!
https://www.mysmiletrain.org/campaign/emilychwa