Surgeons of Hope strives to create a world in which every infant and child with a damaged heart has an equal opportunity to receive life-saving surgery

CURE
Immediately

CULTIVATE
Knowledge and Skills

CONSTRUCT
Centers of Care
Surgeons of Hope completed an assessment mission from July 19- July 22 at the Hospital Infantil De Mexico Federico Gomez in Mexico City. The team was composed of 5 members: Richard Duron & Carolina Churchill from Surgeons of Hope and Dr. Antonio Cabrera (Cardiologist & SOH Board Member), Dr. Eric Griffiths (Cardiac Surgeon) and Mrs. Emilee Glenn (Pediatric Cardiothoracic Nurse Practitioner) from Utah’s Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.
Over the 2.5 days, the team visited the NICU and ICU, reviewed the infection control and epidemiology procedures, and participated in case discussions between the cardiology, surgery and ICU teams and Drs. Cabrera and Griffiths participated in a medical symposium which was streamed live online via the Mexican Center for Medical Education in Health by Television (CEMESATEL); which reaches the whole world via the Internet. You can view the talks here starting at 1:11:42. On July 20, Dr. Griffith was able to join a surgery on a 14- year old patient with tetralogy of fallot. The operation was a success and the patient is doing well. Additionally, the SOH team met with various administration departments including the CFO to learn more about the operational aspects of such a large hospital.
Watch Holman’s Story
Holman received lifesaving surgery 6 years ago, when he was just 12 years old. We were able to reconnect with Holman and his doctor. This compelling story was captured on video and truly embodies the Surgeons of Hope mission.
Latest News
Congratulations, Eduardo da Cruz, MD
Eduardo will join Boston Children’s Hospital in September as Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular Intensive Care and will hold the Peter Lang Chair of Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care. He will also be a Professor at Harvard Medical School. Surgeons of Hope congratulates Eduardo on this new chapter in an illustrious medical and teaching career. Eduardo will continue his service as Co-Chair of Surgeons of Hope and has indicated that moving to the East Coast from Colorado will make it easier to travel to SoH in New York City. Among his professional humanitarian accomplishments, Eduardo also serves as Expert Advisor, European Commission. SoH has been fortunate to have had Eduardo at our helm over the last 10 + years. We are confident this new role will help expand our network of supporters and further enhance our work in Latin America.
Surgeons of Hope names Diego Luna as its first Heart Ambassador:
Filmmaker, actor and humanitarian, Diego Luna is partnering with the Surgeons of Hope Foundation to raise awareness of the growing need for children to have access to life- saving heart surgery, regardless of where they call home. Diego Luna is the organization’s first Heart Ambassador, a role in which he will travel to Latin America on a service mission to witness the Surgeons of Hope team demonstrate their impact firsthand.
Michel Berty: May 14, 1939 – February 11, 2018
Michel Berty was the rare combination of a scientist, captain of industry, thought leader, consultant, investor and philanthropist. With a PhD in physics and an MBA from the Sorbonne in Paris, he was an early executive of what became the global IT Consulting Group, CAPGEMINI, which he served for 26 years in the US and overseas as President, Founder, Chairman, CEO and General Secretary of the Group on both sides of the ocean. Following his retirement he was a consultant, investor, and advisor to multiple companies. He dedicated himself exclusively to philanthropy beginning in 2009, including as the co-founder of the Long Island Chapter of l’Arche USA.
Michel served as the former Vice President of the French American Chamber of Commerce, Conseiller du Commerce Exterieur de la France, member of the Cercle de I’Union Interalliee (Paris), and the NYAC (New York); Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur, and Officier de I’Ordre National du Merite.
Surgeons of Hope was privileged and blessed to have Michel as a contributing Board member for nearly a decade, sharing his invaluable business acumen, compassion, creativity, generosity, and French charm, starting the tradition of our annual Gala for the benefit of the children of Latin America whose heart health we protect and whose lives we save.
We will miss him deeply.
Meet Our Heroes
Our annual “meet our heroes” event at the UN was a great success! Thank you to Dr. Bacha, Dr. Cheung, to H.E. Juan Carlos Mendoza García and to Shannan Pearsall for reminding us that sometimes, the greatest form of bravery is a faithful optimism in others.


We have some great news!
Since we started our work in Costa Rica, 520 patients have been operated on
at the Hospital Nacional de Niños in San Jose. The mortality rate went from
8 % in 2014, down to 1,4 % in 2016. In addition, the average length of stay
at the hospital went from 9,5 days in 2015, down to 4,5 days in 2016. None
of this would be possible without your support!
Surgeons of Hope on Univision
Surgeons of Hope is capturing media attention! Watch the coverage that aired on Univision this summer. The story shows footage from one off our recent missions and features Charles Catherine, Surgeons of Hope’s former executive director. View the story.
Surgeons of Hope Named Top-rated Nonprofit
Surgeons of Hope is proud to be listed among the great nonprofits, a platform for community-sourced stories about nonprofit organizations. Visit our page to read what volunteers, donors, and people inspired by our mission are saying about us.

Paul Chai, MD, head of the Pediatric Cardiac Department of New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH), led our September mission to Nicaragua with the help of a 15-member team. Funded by a generous grant from Edwards Lifesciences, this weeklong mission helped save the lives of 9 children who received open heart surgery.
During this mission, Maria Jose’s life was saved. She was just 1 of the 9 children that received life-saving surgery, and getting her to the surgery that could save her life was a 300-mile mission all in itself. It required a dangerous trek of over 10 hours, navigating a river just to reach a highway, but at the end of this long and exhausting journey, a miracle awaited Maria Jose. Discover her story here.