Global health is stronger when clinicians step outside their own systems to learn—and then bring those lessons home. The impact can reach far beyond a single hospital or patient.
For Dr Lia Tagulinao, a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon from Manila and former volunteer with Operation Smile Australia’s craniofacial program in the Philippines, a recent observership in Australia and New Zealand sparked renewed ambition, new ideas and a deeper appreciation of how different healthcare systems serve their communities.
Operation Smile Australia’s Observership Program opens the door for international clinicians to learn in a new environment. Participants experience different models of care, and gain insights into specialist services, teamwork and long-term patient management.
Inside the Observership Experience
From May to mid-June, Dr Lia took part in a six-week observership across Australia and New Zealand, spending more than 114 hours in clinical settings and attending 66 surgical procedures at specialist hospitals and surgical centres, including Perth Children’s Hospital, Queensland Children’s Hospital, Mater Hospital Brisbane and Starship Hospital in Auckland.
The observership also included opportunities for broader professional learning, with Dr Lia attending the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Scientific Congress and the OSA Global Impact Forum. Throughout the program, she was mentored by five Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons: Dr Jessica Kurith, Dr Stuart Bade, Dr Jonathan Wheeler, Dr Yun Phua and Dr Richard Lewandowski.
Learning Beyond the Operating Theatre
“I was given the opportunity to step into a completely different healthcare environment,” Dr Lia shared. “I observed not only surgical techniques, but also systems of care, multidisciplinary coordination, and long-term craniofacial management.”
Across clinics, multidisciplinary meetings and time in the operating theatre, Dr Lia was able to see how specialised teams work together to deliver paediatric craniofacial care in a high-resource setting.
A New Perspective on Paediatric Care
Coming from a general hospital environment where she primarily managed adult patients, Dr Lia found the breadth of paediatric craniofacial and congenital conditions managed within these specialised centres particularly eye-opening.
“One of the things that stood out most to me was the depth of sub-specialisation within the healthcare teams,” she explained. “Not only the surgeons, but also the nurses and allied health professionals had highly focused expertise in cleft and craniofacial care.”
Observing multidisciplinary conferences—bringing together plastic surgery, neurosurgery, paediatrics, dentistry, nursing, and speech pathology—reinforced for her how coordinated, long-term care can shape outcomes across a patient’s lifetime.
Dr Lia was also inspired by the surgeons she observed—particularly the women she encountered in leadership roles.
“There are women surgeons who are pioneering new technologies and techniques while heading departments, at the same time as being outstanding clinicians and mentors,” she said. “It’s given me something to aspire to—goals that I can now view as tangible and foreseeable one day in the future.”
Reflecting on Two Healthcare Systems
The experience also prompted Dr Lia to reflect on the realities of healthcare in her home country.
“In public hospitals in the Philippines, we often prioritise accessibility and service delivery because of the sheer volume of patients requiring care,” she said. “As a result, many Filipino doctors become highly adaptable ‘generalist specialists,’ capable of managing a broad range of conditions in order to serve more patients.”
Rather than viewing one system as superior, Dr Lia sees value in both approaches.
“What this observership has shown me is that healthcare systems evolve differently based on the needs and limitations of their populations. There is tremendous value in both, and I believe there is much we can learn from one another.”
A Commitment to Continued Learning
For Dr Lia, the observership deepened her commitment to ongoing growth.
“Even after completing plastic surgery residency, I’ve realised how much deeper and more focused craniofacial and paediatric reconstructive care can become—not only surgically, but also in terms of teamwork, education, and long-term multidisciplinary management.”
A special thank you to everyone involved in the fellowship and its planning—especially the hospitals, partners, doctors, staff, the Operation Smile Australia team and Lions Australia, whose funding helped make Dr Lia’s observership possible. A great deal of organisational planning and time went into ensuring the experience was rooted in depth of learning and care, giving Dr Lia the chance to gain experience, share knowledge and strengthen skills across our global network.