Face the Future™ Foundation’s medical volunteers are renowned experts in their medical specialty and come from some of the leading universities and medical institutions in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
Our team includes facial plastic surgeons, plastic surgeons, pediatric surgeons, maxillofacial surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and specialized nurses. Our medical volunteers donate their time and often pay their own expenses as well as donate equipment and supplies needed for the mission.
Meet Some of our Mission Leaders
Kofi Boahene , MD, FACS
Baltimore, Maryland
Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Minimally Invasive Skull Base Surgeon
Medical Director: Accra, Ghana
“At Face the Future Foundation, we are saving and building lives. The impact is tremendous, both with the patients and the capacity building of the local healthcare professionals.”
Dr. Kofi Boahene trained at the Mayo Clinic and is now Professor of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He specializes in removing major skull base tumours, which then often require microvascular reconstruction. He also reanimates paralyzed faces. Dr. Boahene is recognized as an international thought leader and innovative surgeon. Through his Foundation for Special Surgery, Dr. Boahene raised the funds to build the West Africa Institute for Special Surgery (WAISS) in Accra, Ghana, which opened in March 2024. Face the Future Foundation is partnering with Dr. Boahene to provide humanitarian surgical missions at WAISS as of January 2025.
Dr. Matthew Brace , MSc,MD,FRCSC
Ukraine
Medical Director
Otolaryngologist – Head Neck Surgeon
Being involved with Face the Future’s missions to Ukraine has been nothing less than a life-changing experience for me. It has allowed me to use my knowledge and skills in a way that profoundly affects the lives of many men and women who are affected by war. It has also been a tremendous opportunity to teach a new generation of surgeons and to build international friendships.
Dr. Brace is an Otolaryngologist-Head Neck surgeon fellowship-trained in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, who has been a integral part of the Foundation’s missions to Ukraine. He is Medical Director of the Guelph Facial Plastics and Surgical Suites. Matt is also an Adjunct Professor at McMaster University, and a Lecturer at both Western University in London, Ontario and the University of Toronto. His special interests include rib grafting for reconstructive rhinoplasty, craniomaxillofacial trauma, and skin cancer reconstruction.
Neil Salyapongse , MD
Nepal Mission Team
Plastic Surgery
One of the benefits of working with Face the Future Foundation is the opportunity I have to work together with Nepalese Hand Surgeons to both improve local patient care and to help educate future surgeons who train in their fellowship to expand care options in Kathmandu and beyond.
Neil Salyapongse, MD is a professor in the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. As a member of the Nepal Mission Team, he has brought his specialized and expert skills in hand surgery, microsurgery and plastic surgery to benefit the patients severe burns and trauma to the hand, arm, and body.
Debbie Fritz , BSN, RN CNOR
Ukraine
Nursing Team Leader
Registered Nurse
After the war in Ukraine started, I knew I needed to find a way to help. Having the opportunity to share my skills and knowledge with the local Ukrainian medical professionals is a privilege but to show the Ukrainian people that myself and our Face the Future team truly care for them is an honour.
Debbie Fritz BSN, RN, CNOR has been a Registered Nurse for 47 years, practiced as an OR nurse for over 25 years, and has been on 36 medical missions around the world, including several Face the Future Foundation’s missions to Ukraine. On these missions, Debbie is a Nursing Team Leader helping to share knowledge with local nursing staff. Additionally, Debbie is instrumental in procuring supplies and equipment for the missions.
Raymond Cho , MD,FACS
Ukraine
Director of Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery
The time that I have spent with Face the Future in Ukraine has been the most rewarding experience of my entire career. Working with this amazing team is a profound privilege, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to use the lessons that I learned from my time in the military to improve the lives of Ukrainians who have been forever impacted by this tragic war.
Dr. Raymond Cho is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Director of Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. He is widely regarded as an expert in periocular and orbital trauma, tumors and reconstruction. Dr. Cho is an integral member of the Foundation’s missions to Ukraine where many of the patients are soldiers and civilians with severe and complex orbital injuries.
Jonathan Trites , BSc,MD,FRCSC,FACS
Neck Surgery
My experience working with Face the Future Foundation has had a profound effect on my life, both personally and professionally. It is extremely rewarding to collaborate with skilled and passionate doctors and nurses from all over North America, and to work side by side with Ukrainian colleagues, for the singular purpose of improving the lives of their “warriors” as well as civilians who have been immeasurably scarred by conflict.
Dr. Trites is a fellowship-trained head and neck oncologic and reconstructive surgeon. He is an Associate Professor in the Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery at Dalhousie University. Jonathan works at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia and is actively involved in teaching and training residents and fellows. His focus areas include local, regional and free tissue transfer in head and neck reconstruction.
Jeffrey Katz , MD
Kathmandu, Nepal
Cardiovascular Critical Care
I love that our focus with Face the Future is on educating the physicians at Kirtipur Hospital (Kathmandu, Nepal). This leaves a sustained impact on the Nepalese community long after our mission is completed.
Dr. Jeffrey Katz is a member of Face the Future Foundation’s volunteer team to Nepal. He is a Critical Care Anesthesiologist at Endeavor Health in Chicago, Illinois where he serves as the Corporate Co-Director of Critical Care Medicine. Jeff’s main clinical interest is cardiovascular critical care and managing mechanical circulatory support. He attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, anesthesia residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center, and his critical care fellowship at the University of California San Francisco.