10/31/2025
🌏 SIU Plastic Surgery Returns to Vietnam 🇻🇳
Thirty-five years ago, Dr. Robert Russell and a team from SIU Plastic Surgery joined Operation Smile on a groundbreaking mission to Vietnam — training local surgeons and medical students in the art of microsurgery.
Since that first trip, SIU Plastic Surgery has returned multiple times to continue advancing reconstructive surgery education and patient care.
Early this morning, Drs. Russell, Neumeister, and Koljonen, along with Microsurgery Lab Director Carrie Harrison departed Springfield to once again share their expertise and strengthen these long-standing global partnerships.
This year, Dr. Russell is the guest of honor, recognizing his decades of dedication to surgical education and international collaboration.