Paul AngelchikDr

As a cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Paul Angelchik does everything from tummy tucks to face lifts. As a humanitarian, the Glendale-based doctor saves lives and gives hope to poor people in developing countries.

Angelchik has treated cleft lip and palate birth defects in about 180 children and adults through Rotaplast International, a non-profit organization that provides free reconstructive surgery worldwide.

Children who are born with cleft lip or cleft palate are often ostracized from society and susceptible to respiratory problems, as well as hearing, speech, and dental loss.

In October, Angelchik is leaving for his seventh mission with Rotaplast, this time to Chengde, China. He will join a team of medical professionals who will be working in a region about 100 miles from Beijing.

“The main thing is providing a service to somebody who otherwise isn’t going to get that treatment because it’s not available,” Angelchik said. “In a lot of these countries, there’s not enough money to go around.”

Doctors who participate in these missions typically treat 30 patients in five to six days, Angelchik said.

His first experience providing free cleft lip and palate surgery was in 1993, with a medical team from the University of Virginia in India. He joined Rotaplast in 1999 and has traveled to countries such as Argentina, Peru, and Guatemala.

Angelchik said one of the most memorable experiences participating in missions is seeing how older people with deformities regain a sense of confidence after they are treated. He recalled a patient who had no social life because of his cleft lip.