Thought Leadership Together for Health: Advancing Safe Surgical Care through Policy and Advocacy This World Health Day, we celebrate the role of policy and advocacy in shaping healthier futures for our patients and their communities around the world. April 6, 2026 While 5 billion people lack access to safe, affordable surgery, the solution is not surgery alone. Ensuring patients can access the safe surgery they need requires research to understand barriers, policy to turn data into action and collaboration to build sustainable systems. Ruben Ayala, M.D., M.Sc., our chief of policy and advocacy, has been part of Operation Smile since he was 16. From volunteering as a translator in his hometown in Panama to leading global initiatives and partnerships with ministries of health, universities, NGOs and multilateral organizations (like the United Nations), Ayala has witnessed firsthand how research, partnerships and policy can extend care to entire communities.…