William Magee, Jr. // Story of a Smile: The Journey of Operation Smile

William Magee, Jr., FlyerApril 30, 2013 — Children are a universal language—and this language has the power to unite people and nations. In this lecture Dr. Bill Magee, a leading plastic and craniofacial surgeon, shared his journey through his organization, Operation Smile.

Operation Smile is a worldwide medical charity that delivers safe, effective surgical care to children suffering from cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities.Dr. Magee discussed the organization’s history and his inspiration to build a global medical charity committed to helping children around the world.

William Magee, Jr.

Co-Founder & Executive Chairman
Operation Smile

Dr. William P. Magee Jr. is a leading plastic and craniofacial surgeon who founded Operation Smile in 1982 with his wife, Kathleen S. Magee, and serves as the organization’s Executive Chairman.

Operation Smile is a worldwide children’s medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. In 2007, UNICEF presented the Magees with a special recognition on behalf of Operation Smile. To date, Operation Smile has provided more than 2 million patient evaluations and conducted over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Operation Smile currently has programs in more than 60 countries.

Dr. Magee has trained thousands of physicians worldwide. A featured guest on many network television programs, Dr. Magee is also a keynote speaker at many corporate and national meetings.

Dr. Magee received a D.D.S. from the University of Maryland, M.D. from George Washington University Medical School, served his general surgery residency at the University of Virginia Medical School and received his plastic surgery training in Norfolk, Virginia.

Awarded the Hays-Fulbright Scholar Grant from the Franco-American Commission, he studied in France with Dr. Paul Tessier, the father of craniofacial surgery. He has been published in numerous medical journals and medical texts and was honored by the American Medical Association and the American Plastic Surgery Society. Dr. Magee has been awarded honorary doctorates from six universities and the American Medical Association honored him with its 2000 Pride in the Profession Award; and he received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Dr. Magee maintains a private practice in Norfolk and is Co-Director of The Institute for Craniofacial and Plastic Surgery in the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. He is a Professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Southern California and an Associate Professor at the Eastern Virginia Medical School.

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