Surgeon wins award for outside the box approach

A surgeon called Dr. Bill Magee has received a Disruption Innovation Award in New York for his work as the chief executive officer for Operation Smile.

Operation Smile is an organization that has been working with children with cleft lips around the world. The nonprofit operation could use printing services in Virginia Beach to draw attention to the successes it has achieved.

Dr. Magee has said:

“I didn’t have the greatest grades in the world. I learned to get where I was going by thinking outside the box. …We were never, ever afraid to take risks.”


The award was given to the representative of Operation Smile, which is based in Virginia Beach, during the course of the Tribeca Film Festival. At the event, recognition was given to a wheelchair athlete called Aaron Fotheringham and the head of a foundation established by Edsel Ford.

Disruptive innovation has been summarized by the co-founder of the film festival. Craig Hatkoff has contended that innovation of this type has the potential to destroy existing industrial sectors. However, he has mentioned that new efficient systems can contribute towards public wellbeing.

Operation Smile was founded back in 1982. Since then, it has been responsible for in excess of 200,000 surgeries for children afflicted by the condition. These surgeries have been free of charge and conducted by volunteers.