Sacramento Plastic Surgeon – Debra J. Johnson, M.D.
Dr. Debra Johnson – Sacramento Plastic Surgeon to the World
How One Plastic Surgeon Explores New Surgical Frontiers Around the Globe
When she joined The Plastic Surgery Center in 1989, Dr. Debra Johnson was the first woman plastic surgeon in Sacramento. During her career with the organization she has continued to demonstrate an affinity for taking on challenges, serving in key leadership roles for Sutter Community Hospitals and the Sutter Cleft Lip and Palate Panel.
As it turns out, pushing the limits is rather routine for Dr. Johnson. While many physicians donate their time to charitable work at some point in their careers, Dr. Johnson takes philanthropy a bit further – tens of thousands of miles to be more precise. This year she embarked on her 36th trip abroad, this one to Guatemala with an organization called Rotaplast, to donate her surgical skills to those in need. The photos you see here are from that most recent trip.
Giving Back, Getting More
For Debra Johnson, medical student, the journey began at Stanford University. One of her much-admired professors, Dr. Donald Laub, invited her to accompany his team on a trip to Navajoa, Mexico, where they would be repairing scars from traumatic injuries and congenital conditions like cleft lips and hand deformities. Joining the team as a translator and all-around assistant, Dr. Johnson was quickly hooked. "It was the most fun I had ever had in my life," she says. "I got so much more out of it than I gave."
In fact, that first trip influenced Dr. Johnson to adjust her medical focus. As she relates the experience, you can begin to feel the passion the Sacramento plastic surgeon has for her work. "I had planned to be an internist, but that trip convinced me to switch to plastic surgery as my specialty. Discovering I could spend an hour with someone and literally change their life was so moving. How could I choose to specialize in anything other than plastic surgery?"
The Four Corners of the World and Ten Years in Myanmar
After completing her medical training at Stanford and abroad, Dr. Johnson entered private practice, although she continued to donate her time and skills, traveling twice a year to the far corners of the earth. "I've been doing it so long now," she laughs, "I get lots of calls from groups who need the extra hands."
Challenging herself yet again, Dr. Johnson volunteered to run a program in Myanmar (Burma) for one of the best-known charitable surgical organizations, Interplast. She ended up serving as trip coordinator for ten years, traveling there a dozen times. According to Dr. Johnson, it was a very special experience. "We always organized our own supplies and brought them with us," she relates. "When we were there ‘in-country,' we trained local doctors as we performed surgery. Then when we left, the Burmese physicians took the remaining supplies and went further out into the countryside to treat even more people. The ripple effect of our visits there was tremendous."
Images from Guatamala, April 19 - 28, 2007
The Personal Side – Frustrating, Exhausting... Rewarding
The time away from her home in Sacramento is, of course, difficult. The local conditions aren't exactly what she's used to at The Plastic Surgery Center. And, the work can be downright exhausting. But, for those plastic surgeons like Dr. Johnson who choose it, the experience is ultimately rewarding.
"In most countries I've visited, life can be tough enough if you're born with no problems," she says. "If you have a congenital defect or a traumatic injury that leaves you disfigured, your chances of getting married, having children or otherwise living a normal life are about nil. I consider it a simple twist of fate that I was born here, with all the advantages and opportunities I've had. I feel obligated to help others who are less fortunate."
Another strong motivation Dr. Johnson shares with her former professor, Dr. Laub, who continues his volunteer work in retirement, is the desire to be a quiet ambassador to the world. She notes that people from the United States aren't always welcomed with open arms wherever they go, and sometimes for good reason. Dr. Johnson feels a drive to interact with people from other cultures on a "human basis," as she puts it, on a level where people help each other. She feels good about being an American, performing work that is desperately needed.
Finally, there's another benefit of doing surgery for those who lack access to it. In these situations, surgeons like Dr. Johnson get the rare opportunity to enjoy, as she puts it, "the purity of what I was trained to do. I operate on a patient with a big problem, they look and feel better, they're happy. No bureaucracy. It's a true joy."
The Family Side – Sacrifices and Commitments
Dr. Johnson allows that her years of travel have had an impact on her family that wasn't exclusively positive. "I remember my daughter, Gabriela, asking one time why I had to leave," she says. As hard as the goodbyes could be at times, both her daughter and son grew up witnessing the deep commitment their mother has to her work in other countries. Gabriela got the chance one year to send some of her stuffed toys to her mom's patients, and both Gabriela and Pablo accompanied Dr. Johnson on a trip when they were in high school.
Mario Gutierrez, Dr. Johnson's husband, has traveled with her several times. The Cuban-American is thoroughly committed to volunteer work himself, serving on the Board of Directors of International Volunteers in Urology, an organization of physicians that also works worldwide.
What's Next
Having just returned from her recent trip to Guatemala, Dr. Johnson is looking ahead to her next journey to Tanzania. "We'll be teaching local surgeons, both veterans and students."
Pausing a moment to think about other doctors, especially physicians just completing their years-long training process, Dr. Johnson says, "I'd like to encourage them all to volunteer to help others. Try it now, and if you enjoy it, keep doing it." She admits that it requires an investment. "We provide all our own supplies, but more than that it's the time and lost income. If you make it a way of life early in your career, though, you never miss the money."
Dr. Johnson doesn't want young surgeons to miss the chance to make miracles happen for others and feel the rewards of that work. "Dr. Laub used to say you get psychic income," she recalls. "But along with those good feelings, I have learned so much. I've learned that people around the world are all the same. We want the same things: food, shelter, a better life for ourselves and our children. I feel honored to be able to help some people along toward achieving that dream."
Photos for Rotaplast by Jerry Meshulam
