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Giving Back

Dr. McClure devotes a large part of his practice to international volunteer work.

During his third medical school year he was invited to join a group of plastic surgeons on a volunteer mission to Mexico to treat children with cleft lips and palates, and burn scar deformities. He assisted plastic surgeons who performed life changing operations on children who otherwise would not have had the chance to lead normal lives. This mission changed Dr. McClure’s life. He decided at that moment to pursue a career in plastic surgery so he could continue to help children around the world.

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In 2012 Dr. McClure was honored by the ReSurge International Foundation, the world’s premiere volunteer reconstructive surgery volunteer organization, for his 32 years of continuing service.

Here, he recieved the William C. Lazier Leadership Award.

During his plastic surgery training at Stanford University Medical School Dr. McClure volunteered on seven international humanitarian missions. He also sought additional training in the treatment of burn victims doing a six month fellowship. Upon completion of his training, he chose a practice in the Napa Valley that would allow him to continue volunteer work. When the time came to seek a new associate, Dr. McClure invited Dr. Rebecca Jackson, another Stanford trained surgeon, to join him.She shared his passion for international humanitarian surgical service, so together they fashioned a practice that would allow them each to spend up to six weeks abroad every year donating their skills.

Just as important as helping the children is the training of host surgeons to do these operations so they would eventually be able to care for their own. Only by teaching others can one hope to help the greatest number of patients.

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Dr. McClure has led and served on more than 85 volunteer missions to developing nations all around the world to treat children with debilitating deformities, as well as to teach advanced surgical techniques. In 2005 he was recognized by the Dalai Lama as an “Unsung Hero of Compassion.”

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Closer to home Dr. McClure and Dr. Jackson strive to help those who fall between the cracks of our health care system. Working with Napa’s Queen of the Valley Medical Center and Clinic Olé the county’s community health clinic for patients with financial needs, they treat trauma victims and patients in need of reconstructive surgery regardless of their ability to pay. This year The Queen of the Valley Foundation recognized the two doctors for their service by awarding them the Sister Ann McGuinn Award for Justice.

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Since 2012 Dr. McClure has served as Board chairman of the non-profit Scholastic Interest Group of San Francisco.

The mission of Scholastic Interest Group is to assist young men ages 12-18 living in the low-income communities of San Francisco reach their full potential by offering a variety of athletic, educational, and personal development programs that meet their unique needs.

In 1998 Dr. McClure and Dr. Jackson recognized the need for a tattoo removal program to help former youth gang members leave the gang life behind by removing the stigmatizing tattoos ofgang identity. Working with other concerned community members and former gang members they established Taboo Tattoo, a volunteer community based program. To date they have removed tattoos from hundreds of young people seeking the chance for a new start. Learn more about Taboo Tattoo by reading this article in The Napa Register.

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Dr. McClure’s most recent project has been in Cuba. After months of communication with representatives from Cuba’s public health officials and multiple visits to the country, Dr. McClure was able to organize a five year collaboration between the society of Cuban reconstructive surgeons and the Resurge International Foundation to teach advanced reconstructive surgery techniques to these compassionate Cuban surgeons yearning for the knowledge and surgical skills to help their patients. This program has been a dream of Dr. McClure’s since his first surgical mission to Cuba in 1995. With the help of his colleagues at Stanford, they have recruited the best and most prominent plastic surgery professors in the United States to join the teaching faculty.

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Dr. McClure continues to make yearly surgical missions to Vietnam, the country he first visited in 1989. The successful education program that he helped established is still going strong. Dr. McClure continues to work with the surgical residents whom he helped train in the early 90’s. Young then, they are now professors in their own right and have residents of their own to teach. These original residents have operated on tens of thousands of patients, mostly children, during their careers.

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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 1989

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Dr. Nguon Huynh (top right) – Surgical resident 1989

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Dr. Nguon Huynh – Professor of Surgery 2014

Over the years Dr. McClure has volunteered his expertise and energy to work with many different volunteer surgical organizations. Below are videos that highlight the work of these organizations.

Dr. McClure’s first mission to Cuba was with the Plasticos Foundation. His statements open this video.

In 2014, the website

Dr. McClure led Plasticos’ first mission to Laos. This video is of the 2nd Plasticos mission he led to this beleaguered country.

Below are links to the volunteer organizations that Dr. McClure supports both by leading surgical missions and by raising money for the work. You can also click here to see photos of some of the many patients abroad that Dr. McClure has treated.