Physicians Week: Dr. Christopher Zarella
March 25, 2025
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Surgeon uses skills for annual medical mission
Legacy is highlighting Dr. Zarella and other providers as it celebrates Physicians Week by talking to them about their lives outside the hospital or clinic. We believe those experiences help our providers better care for our patients and communities.
Every year, Dr. Christopher Zarella, FACS, spends two weeks traveling to a foreign country to put his skills as a plastic surgeon to use by helping people with cleft lip and palate. It’s a form of public service that Dr. Zarella started at the prompting of a mentor.
“I knew I wanted to do volunteer work so when a surgeon, who is a mentor and friend, suggested I connect with the Alliance for Smiles it all fell into place,” he said.
Alliance for Smiles is a nonprofit that organizes two-week surgical missions around the world. The group focuses on correcting cleft lip and palate. Dr. Zarella recently returned from Accra, Ghana. The trip stood out from others because of the complexity of the surgeries he performed.
Plastic surgery, or surgery in general, wasn’t something Dr. Zarella had considered when he entered medical school. It was during his surgical rotation in the third year of medical school when he found his niche.
It started with a stint in trauma surgery. The technical elements of surgery piqued his interest, but he didn’t like that it was a reactionary procedure. He wanted to be more proactive. The second surgical rotation was in plastic surgery, which checked both boxes.Dr. Zarella joined Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel 10 years ago after finishing his specialty training. His first surgical mission was in 2015. Since then, he’s traveled with Alliance for Smiles to China, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Myanmar, Ecuador and Ghana.
The team of 15 medical personnel and four support staff spend the first day in the country screening patients that have been identified by a team from the host country. Surgeries are performed Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday is a rest day, and the process repeats during the second week, and ends with a final clinic to ensure patients are doing well before the team leaves.
Alliance for Smile is just one of many groups that help people with cleft lip and palate. Dr. Zarella said there are many reasons so many organizations provide this care.
“It’s a safe and simple operation to perform abroad,” he said. “The healing is easy, and pain is minimal. Plus, you don’t need intensive / high level post-operative care, such as an intensive care unit.”
During a typical trip, he’ll perform two to three surgeries a day. In Ghana, there were a few days when he only saw one patient. The trip was notable for two patients who had a rare cleft deformity.
“The odds of seeing someone with that condition is extremely rare,” he said. “I’d read about it in case reports and journals but didn’t expect to see it in my career. Then I go to Ghana and get two cases. That was super special to have something so unique and to be able to take care of it.”
The destination for his next trip is yet to be determined. But the gratification is always the same.
“It’s such a good feeling,” he said. “My Randall patients and their families are always thankful, but the thanks we get on these trips is different. It’s also a reminder to me to be thankful for what I have.”
The odds of seeing someone with this condition is extremely rare. I’d read about it in case reports and journals but didn’t expect to see it in my career. Then I go to Ghana and get two cases. That was super special to have something so unique and to be able to take care of it.
