Dr. Roberto Fajardo is helping to change lives through his work with Healing the Children’s mission in Neiva, Colombia.
Dr. Roberto Fajardo is Colombian and has been co-leading a pediatric medical mission to Neiva, Colombia, for 15 years. Although Dr. Fajardo now lives permanently in the United States, he maintains strong connections and relationships in Colombia. These have helped him advance the mission as part of the Healing the Children-Florida nonprofit organization. The Neiva mission, founded by his father 27 years ago, is the longest-running pediatric medical mission to one site in South America. During the program's 27 years, the mission’s medical and support team has provided free surgical care to over 4,000 children, speech therapy to cleft patients and hundreds of free dental care treatments. The program started with approximately 25 clinical staff members in 1993 and now includes over 100. The volunteer staff includes individuals from UT Health San Antonio, Staten Island University Hospital, Columbia College of Dentistry, Harvard Medical School and, of course, UIW. The diverse team, including medical students and U.S. and Colombian residents, works seamlessly with local physicians and staff. Beyond the obvious benefits to the patients receiving treatment, there are also wonderful benefits to the team providing care. Among these are the educational benefits. The mission program is, in fact, now integrated into the UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine curriculum.