Dr. Meredith Workman, her husband, and their four children to begin permanent mission in Africa
Grand Rapids, MI – November 30, 2022: Dr. Meredith Workman, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Mesa, AZ, and the founder of East Valley Pediatric Plastic Surgery, PLC, and her family will depart for Lusaka, Zambia, in January to begin a permanent mission to provide world-class surgical care to children with treatable disabilities. She will be the only practicing pediatric plastic surgeon treating children in the entire country of 20 million people.
Dr. Workman and her husband, David, will move to Zambia with their four children, ages 6, 8, 12, and 14. The Zambian hospital is operated by CURE International, a Christian organization that operates a global network of no-cost, high-quality pediatric hospitals. CURE Zambia has historically relied on short-term mission partnerships to provide plastic and cleft care, but Dr. Workman will be developing a full-time plastic surgery and multidisciplinary cleft program to provide consistent care to children in need.
“I believe all children are born equal whether they are born in Lusaka or Los Angeles,” says Dr. Workman. “As a mother, the expectation level I have for surgical care is this: would it be ‘good enough’ for my child? As a surgeon, it’s my job to make sure the answer to that question is always ‘yes.’”
Dr. Workman is a board-certified plastic surgeon with over ten years of surgical experience in pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery. She has been involved in dozens of research publications and presentations. Her specialties include congenital or acquired facial deformities, cleft lip and palate, congenital hand malformations, congenital or developmental breast deformities, scars, and other lesions.
Dr. Workman has practiced at Cardon Children’s Medical Center (Mesa), Phoenix Children’s Hospital (Phoenix), Barrow Cleft and Craniofacial Center (Phoenix), Banner Surgery Centers (multiple AZ locations), St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center (Phoenix), Banner University Medical Center (Phoenix), and Banner Gateway Medical Center (Gilbert).
“Every day, children come to our hospitals seeking treatment for chronic burn contractures, cleft lip and cleft palate. They are truly vulnerable children who need the highest quality of surgical care to regain their function, dignity and confidence,” says Dr. Rick Gardner, Chief Medical Officer for CURE International. “Dr. Workman’s remarkable expertise and commitment will change many lives of children at CURE Zambia. Across our network, we are deepening our commitment to providing plastic surgical expertise for these children. Dr. Workman is at the forefront of these efforts.”
About CURE International
CURE International is a Christian nonprofit organization that operates a global network of pediatric surgical hospitals, which serve one of the world’s most marginalized and vulnerable populations – children with disabilities. Patients at CURE hospitals suffer from orthopedic, neurosurgical, and maxillofacial conditions that limit their mobility/functionality and opportunities for education and employment. In addition to world-class clinical service, CURE intentionally ministers to the emotional and spiritual needs of patients in its care and invests in training programs that aim to equip the next generation of health workers and strengthen national health care systems. Since inception, CURE has conducted more than 5.3 million patient visits and 330,000 surgical procedures around the world. For more information, visit https://cure.org/.
