History
Providing Free Heart Surgery to Children with Heart Disease in Developing Countries
The Surgeons of Hope Foundation (SoH) is a New York City, NY based nonprofit established in 2001 by Alain Deloche, MD, the founder of Médecins du Monde and co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières to provide every infant and child with a damaged heart the opportunity to receive life-saving surgery.
It is unconscionable that a child dies from a heart defect (congenital or acquired) due to a lack of resources for proper care. Thankfully, young people living in the U.S. or Europe can easily be cured. The same cannot be said for kids in poorer countries. SOH seeks to narrow that disparity by living up to its motto: "It’s not what we bring. It’s what we leave behind."
SOH has developed a sustainable strategy to provide care to children in need of heart surgery. It approached the need on three key fronts by giving urgently needed care, cultivating skills in local medical teams, and constructing or equipping centers of care in developing countries.
SOH began this mission with pilot programs in Cambodia, Mozambique, Senegal, and Afghanistan.
In 2008, SOH decided to focus its efforts in Latin America and established a program in Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Since then, we've constructed an advanced cardiac center, provided training to local medical teams, screened thousands of patients, and operated on ~ 800 children.
In 2014, SOH started working in Costa Rica and drastically improved medical outcomes and proctored the implementation of a system that helps detect CHD and the need for early treatment.
In 2019, Paraguay, SoH began working with the Hospital Acosta Ñu in Lorenzo and since then over 600 children with heart problems have been helped.
In 2022, SoH conducted an assessment mission to the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez in July 2022.
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Leadership

Eduardo da Cruz, MD
Board Co-Chair
Eduardo da Cruz, MD
Co-Chair
Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular Critical Care,Peter Lang Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiology,
Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School,
Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine
Background: Dr. da Cruz trained in pediatrics, pediatric cardiology and Intensive care at the Universidad de Costa Rica and Hospital Nacional de Niños, San Jose, Costa Rica, and the Hospital Necker-Enfants Malades, Université de Paris V-René Descartes (La Sorbonne), Paris, France. He has extensive experience in the peri-operative treatment and medical management of neonates, children and young adults with simple or complex congenital or acquired heart diseases. He is very actively involved in national and international research, teaching and scholarly activity in the fields of pediatric cardiology and cardiac intensive care and is the editor of various CICU textbooks. Dr. da Cruz has published more than 50 book chapters and multiple manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, as well as the Guidelines for Cardiac Intensive Care Training for European Pediatric Cardiology trainees.
Dr. da Cruz Is the founder and Emeritus Honorary Chairman of the Working Group on Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care of the Association for the European Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology (A.E.P.C.),member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the A.E.C.P., former member of the Multidisciplinary Joint Committee of Intensive Care Medicine of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, member of the Board of the Congenital Domain at the European Association for Cardio Thoracic Surgery (E.A.C.T.S), founder and Deputy-Chair of the Section on Hemodynamics and Cardiac Diseases of the European Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (E.S.P.N.I.C.), and member of various other international societies and task forces. He has been involved in humanitarian projects since 1990, has accomplished more than 30 international missions in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East with the Surgeons of Hope Foundation.

Richard Duron
Board Co-Chair
Richard Duron
Board Co-Chair
Senior Managing Director
Atlas Advisors, New York
Richard Duron is a Senior Managing Director at Atlas Advisors.
Prior to joining Atlas, Mr. Duron was a Managing Partner at Stelac Advisory in New York. Stelac Advisory is a multi-family office providing wealth management advisory services. Mr. Duron also worked as a Senior Associate Partner with Cambridge Advisors in Cambridge, MA focusing on Financial Strategies for family-owned businesses.
Prior to that, he spent seven years at UBS. His last position was Vice Chairman in the
Wealth Management International Americas division and also ran UBS’s Wealth Management
operations in Canada and Latin America.
Prior to UBS, Mr. Duron spent 24 years at JP Morgan in various functions and headed the M&A
group for Latin America. He also worked in debt capital markets and in private banking.
Currently, Mr. Duron serves on the Boards of Surgeons of Hope Foundation, Inc. and SPIN Global.
Mr. Duron comes from a family of doctors and believes in giving back to the less fortunate. He also enjoys outdoor activities, being an avid runner and cyclist and completed over 10 marathons.
Mr. Duron studied civil engineering in France and obtained a MS from Stanford University. He also holds an MBA from INSEAD and a master’s in Public Health, Administration and Management from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

Nathalie Le Bos
Board Treasurer
Nathalie Le Bos
Board Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer
Publicis Healthcare Communications Group
As Chief Financial Officer of PHCG, Nathalie Le Bos oversees all financial functions and ensures the network continues its strong growth pattern. With more than 20 years of experience, Nathalie brings an impressive background in operations and financial management for the world’s most renowned advertising agencies. A seven-year veteran of Publicis Groupe, Nathalie recently served as Chief Financial Officer, Europe for PHCG. She also served as Operations Control Director for Publicis Worldwide, where she was instrumental in strengthening European operations and worked with large clients Renault, Nestlé, and Sanofi. Prior to her tenure at Publicis, she worked for TEQUILA (an Omnicom Group company) as Chief FinancialOfficer. She also worked with Havas Groupe for 13 years in several roles in finance.

Paul Chai, MD
Board Member
Paul Chai, MD
Board Member
Chief of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Acting Associate Professor of Surgery at Emory University

David Chitayat
Board Member
David Chitayat
Board Member
CEO
Genimex
As parents of a Heart Warrior, David and his wife Xhingyu have been enthusiastic advocates for children with congenital heart defects.
Since 2001, David has served as the Group CEO of Genimex. David has been instrumental in transforming Genimex, from a traditional sourcing company to a turnkey global contract manufacturer serving a wide array of respected brands with their global supply chain and manufacturing. David is also a co-founder of Full Circle Brands, an innovative consumer products manufacturer of sustainable housewares.

Juan Carlos Fuentes-Rosales, MD
Board Member

Juan Carlos Fuentes-Rosales, MD
Board Member
Chief Hospitalist, Associate Residency Training Program Director, and Director of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety for the Department of Medicine. Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY Chief Hospitalist, Associate Residency Training Program Director, and Director of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety for the Department of Medicine. Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY Dr. Juan Carlos Fuentes-Rosales is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. He is currently the Chief Hospitalist, Associate Residency Training Program Director, and Director of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety for the Department of Medicine at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Fuentes-Rosales obtained his medical doctor’s degree at Universidad Anahuac, Mexico City, Mexico, and completed his medical training in Internal Medicine at the University of Washington, Boise, Idaho. He got his master’s in Public Health, Administration and Management at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. He serves as Advisory Board Member for the Society of Hospital Medicine, NYC/Westchester chapter. He is originally from Venezuela, has traveled throughout Latin America, and knows the culture and the region. Dr. Fuentes-Rosales also lived in France and England before relocating to New York City. He is fluent in French, English, and Spanish. Joined 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.
Christian Pizarro, MD
Board Member
Christian Pizarro, MD
Board Member
The Nemours Cardiac Center
duPont Children’s Hospital

Luca Vricella, MD
Board Member
Luca Vricella, MD
Board Member
The University of Chicago Medicine
Professor of Surgery
Chief, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Administration

Carolina Churchill
Missions and Operations Director
Carolina Churchill
Missions and Operations Director
Carolina Hernandez Churchill joined Surgeons of Hope in March 2022 as our Missions and Operations Director. In this role, she will organize missions of medical volunteers and local teams in Latin America to provide life-saving heart surgery to children who cannot access such critical care. She will also oversee all operations for the organization and our commitment to provide children a chance at the joy of childhood and the promise of a productive adulthood.
Offering a diverse background in nonprofit management, both international and domestic, Carolina served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, West Africa from June 2000 – January 2002 where she taught over 200 students. In February 2002 she began work as an Office Administrator at the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) responsible for all administrative aspects of the headquarters office at the United Nations. In May 2006, she joined the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as the Health Unit Manager and worked at IRC in both the International and Domestic programs until January 2012. Returning to her Alma Mater, Mercy College in January 2012, Carolina was named Project Coordinator for the Step up to STEM program managing all aspects of a federally-supported grant and served until January 2016. Before joining Surgeons of Hope, Carolina was the Senior Program Manager for the Global Health Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society where she coordinated all administrative and programmatic functions for 6 years.
Carolina earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Mercy College and a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from the New School University.
“Having been Being born in El Salvador and needing to flee during the civil war sparked
a light in me at a very young age to help others. That is why throughout my career, I have
always looked for ways to combine my talents with my passion for helping others. Now that I am working for an organization that is helping children in Latin America, I feel like I have come full circle. It is such a great honor to work with Surgeons of Hope and its teams
of volunteer Doctors, Nurses, and medical professionals.”
“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing
why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life,
however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others.”–Albert Einstein

Leila Hawken
Editorial Assistant
Leila Hawken
Editorial Assistant
The Nemours Cardiac Center
duPont Children’s Hospital
Having served Surgeons of Hope as Executive Assistant between 2006 and 2016, Leila has rejoined Surgeons of Hope in 2022. Her focus will be on assisting with publications and helping to keep the organization’s friends and supporters informed about progress toward fulfilling our vision, bringing first-world care to developing countries in Latin America. One day the level of pediatric cardiac care that is routinely provided in developed countries will be routinely and locally accessible throughout Latin America.
A resident of upstate New York, Leila presently serves on the reporting staff of The Lakeville Journal, responsible for covering the news and events of the northwest corner of Connecticut.
“As a writer, I am thrilled to continue my service to Surgeons of Hope and its administrative team, all in support of the gifted medical professionals who contribute their enormous talents and energy to the vital work that lies ahead.”