Allyn Auslander

Dr. Allyn Auslander is the Associate Vice President of Research for Operation Smile, an international NGO that has provided free cleft lip and palate surgery to over 300,000 patients across the world. Her passion for global health and global surgery stems from the belief that all patients should receive quality care, which begins with equitable representation in health research. Her current work focuses on identifying genetic and environmental risk factors for cleft lip and palate unique to individuals in the low-and-middle income countries served by Operation Smile. She is currently studying genetic risk factors for cleft in Madagascar and exploring the impact of smoke exposure from cooking on cleft risk. This information will empower global organizations, healthcare providers, and medtech companies to create context- appropriate solutions that decrease the burden of disease where patients are at the highest risk of being unable to access care.

Her additional research interests include the psychosocial barriers to accessing surgical care, the utilization of innovative education models, and improving impact assessment at nonprofits. Allyn received her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Southern California, Master’s in Public Health from the University of California Los Angeles, and her Bachelors in Statistics from the University of Florida.