When Dr. Cheryl Carandang Nocon finishes a day of treating head-and-neck cancer patients at her East Los Angeles clinic, she sometimes turns her attention to a different set of patients — ones she will not see for months, in hospitals thousands of miles away, where the operating rooms lack equipment her American colleagues take for granted.
Nocon, a Pasadena resident and fellowship-trained surgeon, leads Operation International’s Kenya surgical team, one arm of a humanitarian nonprofit that sends volunteer physicians to perform free surgeries in countries where basic procedures remain out of reach for millions. On April 9, she will describe that work — and what she has learned about the distance between American medicine and the rest of the world — at a free public presentation at the La Pintoresca Branch Library.
The event arrives during National Public Health Week, which runs April 6 through 12 this year, and coincides with World Health Worker Week. The timing is not incidental. The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery has estimated that 5 billion people worldwide lack access to safe, affordable surgical care — a crisis that claims more lives annually than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined, according to global health researchers.
Nocon’s credentials suggest she could practice anywhere. She studied as an undergraduate at Harvard College, earned her medical degree at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, completed her residency at the University of Chicago, and trained in head-and-neck surgical oncology and microvascular reconstruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds board certification from the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, which has designated her a Complex Thyroid/Parathyroid Surgeon, and she is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
She chose to practice at L.A. Sinus & Allergy Specialists in East Los Angeles, where her patients are predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrants facing barriers that include low health literacy and limited insurance coverage, according to her Operation International biography. She is also pursuing a Master of Public Health degree.
Her published research reflects the same preoccupation with inequity. Studies bearing her name have examined racial disparities in recommended treatment for head-and-neck cancer and the relationship between access to dental care and oral cancer incidence.
Operation International, the nonprofit through which Nocon volunteers, was founded in 1996 and describes itself as a secular, non-political humanitarian organization, according to its website. The group reports having more than 200 medical professionals across chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Hong Kong. Its volunteers perform cancer surgeries, sight restorations, burn reconstructive procedures, and corrective operations for conditions such as clubfoot and cleft palate, the organization says. In 2023, OI reported restoring eyesight to more than 450 patients, performing more than 500 major general surgeries, and removing more than 150 head-and-neck tumors, according to figures on its website. The organization holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
Nocon’s talk at La Pintoresca will cover her experiences on missions in Africa, her vision for transforming global surgery through local empowerment and sustainability, and ways for community members to get involved, according to the event listing.
The presentation takes place Thursday, April 9, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the La Pintoresca Branch Library, 1355 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. The event is free and sponsored by the Pasadena Public Library. For more information, call 626-744-7268.
Five billion people are waiting for a surgeon who may never come. On April 9, one of the surgeons who does show up will be at a library in northwest Pasadena, explaining why.
OPERATION INTERNATIONAL – DR. CHERYL CARANDANG NOCON Date & Time: Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Venue: La Pintoresca Branch Library /1355 N. Raymond Ave. Pasadena , CA 91103. Phone Number: 626-744-7268. Website: https://www.cityofpasadena.net/library/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D197056540
