Despite the immense impact Operation International teams make each year, the need for surgical care, infrastructure building, and community support offered by the organization still exists in underserved communities around the globe. It is this demand for help that motivated OI to expand its reach in new and innovative ways.

This year, that came with the introduction of four new teams to the Operation International family. New slates of volunteers from Kentucky, Atlanta, and Hungary are getting ready to bring their expertise to those in need. Plus, a fourth team dedicated to strengthening local health care systems in countries served by Operation International will tackle building long-term relationships and education opportunities for local hospital staff.

Read below to learn more about each of these teams:

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Team ATL

The newly-formed Atlanta-based team will expand Operation International’s dental care capabilities.

Led by Dr. Uday Parikh, the team will head on their inaugural mission trip to Ghana in July. Dr. Parikh joined OI's Dental Team on their mission to Ghana in 2025 to better understand how to run a mission. Upon his return, he immediately worked on starting his own team as part of the Operation International family.

The new team will include volunteers from OI’s Team Dental and new Atlanta-based professionals.  

They aim to share their experiences, knowledge, and resources to not only improve care during the trip, but also to guide the local teams so that they can continue to build on those skills and hopefully pay it forward. The team's goal is to serve as many people as possible (more than 400) and to build on the resources created by OI's Team Dental in 2025 to create proper infrastructure rooms at Holy Family Hospital in Techiman, Ghana.

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Team KY

The second new team is made up of volunteers from Kentucky.

Also founded in 2026, the team was created by by Travis Denna, MD; Lauren Vaughn, DMD; and Andrew Vaughn, MD with a shared vision of serving communities through compassionate medical outreach and mission work. Our team is committed to delivering care, hope, and support to those in need both locally and globally.

Team KY will head on their first mission trip in February 2027 to Zambia. The team's goal is to help as many Zambians through head and neck surgery, general surgery, and dental procedures. They also will continue to help build the medical community in Livingstone through educational programs.

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Team Hungary

Joining Operation International’s international team base is a new chapter headquartered in Budapest, Hungary.

This team will be led by Dr. Bernadett Levay, who joined Team NY on their recent trip to Ethiopia.

The team’s goal will be to provide life-saving and life-altering surgical care to populations lacking access to adequate medical resources. They will deliver  free, specialized procedures, including reconstruction after severe burn, head and neck surgery, breast surgery, obstetrical complications, and general surgery.

Like all OI teams, Team Hungary will also equip local doctors with advanced skills and knowledge and donate medical equipment to ensure care continues long after their departure. Their aim is to bridge the gap in regions where surgical care is otherwise unavailable.

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Team CCI

The final new team that has joined Operation International is known as the Critical Care Initiative, who already completed their first mission with Team Heart of Texas in Zambia earlier this year.

Led by Dr. Vijai Bhola, The Critical Care Initiative invests in people to strengthen healthcare systems where the need is greatest. Their mission is to build capacity among healthcare professionals in developing countries through long-term, equitable partnerships.

The team will support long-term improvements in patient care by working alongside local clinicians, educators, and health leaders to develop critical care skills, supporting the training of future generations, and strengthening local health systems.

Critical care remains a major unmet healthcare need in many low-resource settings. By supporting critical care education, pandemic preparedness, and disaster response capabilities, the team helps communities build the expertise and resilience needed to save lives.

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