From childhood, I have been drawn to children who have experienced disfiguring injury and deformity. I remember attending a “Children of War” symposium at my local church when I was 12 years old. I have been so blessed to receive extensive training in head and neck reconstruction and plastic surgery from the top universities in the world including the University of Colorado and Stanford University. As a Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, I desire to share my gifts of surgery and healing with people who would otherwise never have the opportunity for reconstructive surgery. After over 6 months in Afghanistan, I learned firsthand how war causes suffering for the innocent. My ability to perform cleft lip and palate repair and craniofacial reconstruction for traumatic facial injuries and birth defects is my calling to give back to these children and their families. I participated in the Face the Future Foundation Humanitarian Mission to Rwanda in February 2014. This mission trip was my second time in Rwanda performing humanitarian surgery for the people of Rwanda and educational assistance to their physicians and surgeons. Rwandan patients were identified by local surgeons and reconstructive plastic surgery and craniofacial surgery were given to eligible patients at no cost. As part of the initiative, the team trained local surgeons on the latest surgical techniques and advances.
The team was in Rwanda from Feb. 23-29 and performed 40 complex facial procedures within four days. The patients were suffering from numerous disfiguring conditions such as ameloblastoma and some are victims from the 1994 Rwandan genocide. These complex surgeries typically last 8-10 hours each. Gun shot wounds to the face, birth defects, and tumor removal and reconstruction were performed by the team. I’ve had the opportunity to return to Rwanda for three total missions and my experience has been beyond rewarding. I’m now blessed to lead medical missions to South America with Face the Future Foundation.

I would like to share my experience with medical missions with you. Watch my video at Facial Plastic Surgery Missions with Dr. Jose Barrera, MD.

My fondest memory of the trip was meeting a lovely Rwandan couple with a 3 month old baby who was born with a cleft lip deformity. The father and mother placed their trust in me. To hand over your child to a foreign doctor can be very difficult. I was blessed to be able to repair the cleft lip deformity and give a new smile to their daughter.
I hope to return to Rwanda for my third humanitarian visit with Face the Future Foundation in 2015.